BIFAN 2018: Official Selections for Network of Asian Fantastic Films Confirmed
For the past several years, the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN) has held the Network of Asian Fantastic Films (NAFF) through it’s industry program BIFAN Industry Gathering (B.I.G.). A chance for filmmakers to show their works for numerous awards (including cash awards for production and post-productions costs), the filmmakers also have the chance to showcase their films to potential producers, investors, and distributors from around the world, bringing their stories one step closer to being shown to audiences in various regions.
This year, NAFF has unveiled its 11th edition that will see 26 films highlighted, 17 of which are in the “It Project” category, four projects from India for “Project Spotlight”, four films for “Nordic Genre Invasion”, and one film for “Blood Window”. Starting July 14 and running over a 5-day period, these films will be shown to audiences and prospective genre influencers.
Seventeen films from 15 countries were chosen for “It Project”, including four films from South Korea. In total, over 240 films from 43 countries were submitted and slowly whittled down until the final selections were made. The projects from Korea include Superpower Girl (directed by KIM Soo-young), a fantasy horror thriller that depicts the desires of a group of high school girls who find out about a “stone of ability” that amplifies latent abilities; Remember Spring (directed by JEON In-hwan), a film about traveling to a parallel universe to reverse a tragic incident that happened in the past; Night at the Evil Gallery (directed by OH Inchun), a new project from the same director behind The DMZ, which was invited to the 2018 Arizona International Film Festival and received praise for being an outstanding genre film that captured the bravery of women; and lastly, Autumn Man (Ugly Man) (directed by LIM Jin-seung), a fantasy black comedy about the struggles of an ugly man who is left all alone in a world with only beautiful people.
For this year’s “Project Spotlight”, a section that handpicks and introduces genre projects from one Asian country each year, the focus will be on India. The Ordeal – a film adaptation of Henry James’ novella The Turn of the Screw – is a mystery thriller with an atmosphere that is unique to India. Paradisco is a new project from director Rohit Mittal, who also directed Autohead, a film that was screened at BIFAN in 2016 and received worldwide attention.
Projects in the “Nordic Genre Invasion” section include The Nightmare, a fantasy horror project from Norway about having nightmares where one is being controlled by the devil; and Red Snow, a horror comedy about battling for survival on the night of Christmas.
For this year’s “Blood Window” section, a collaborative project between Argentina, Brazil, and Bolivia titled The Eternal White (director Christoph Behl) was chosen as the official selection.
The full breakdown of each category can be found below.
BIFAN 2018 takes place July 12-22. More information can be found on their official website.
It Project:
2701 First Love
Country: Thailand
Director: Nuttakorn TRIVITTAYAKORN
Autumn Man (Ugly Man)
Country: Korea, Japan
Director: LIM Jin-seung
Deadline
Country: Hong Kong
Director: Kiwi CHOW
Hell Hole
Country: Malaysia, Hong Kong, Singapore
Director: Sam LOH
IMAH
Country: Indonesia, France
Director: Eddie CAHYONO
Matilda Corkscrew
Country: France
Director: Victor JAQUIER
Monsterlake
Country: China, France
Director: Francois CHANG
Night at the Evil Gallery
Country: Korea
Director: OH Inchun
Outerspace Filipino Workers: Songs from a Distant Star
Country: The Philippines
Director: Keith SICAT
Remember Spring
Country: Korea, Japan
Director: JEON In-hwan
The Saigon Visitor
Country: Vietnam, USA, Japan
Director: Dave BOYLE
Siri
Country: Malaysia
Director: Ming Jin WOO
Someone Like You
Country: Taiwan
Director: Chun-yi HSIEH
Soul Searching
Country: Cambodia
Director: Sokyou CHEA
Superpower Girl
Country: Korea
Director: KIM Soo-young
Watch Me Kill
Country: The Philippines, USA
Director: Tyrone ACIERTO
Worm and the Widow
Country: Brunei, France
Director: Abdul ZAINIDI
Project Spotlight:
The Abode of the Gods
Country: India
Director: Vikas CHANDRA
Bogie No. S4
Country: India
Director: Vishal FURIA
The Ordeal
Country: India
Director: Bhargav SAIKIA
Paradisco
Country: India
Director: Rohit MITTAL
Nordic Genre Invasion:
iBnB
Country: Finland
Director: Teemu NIKKI
The Nightmare
Country: Norway
Director: Kjersti Helen RASMUSSEN
Red Snow
Country: Finland
Director: Ilja RAUTSI
Sound From the Deep
Country: Finland
Director: Joonas Allonen, Antti Laakso
Blood Window:
The Eternal White
Country: Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia
Director: Christoph BEHL
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