MALAY
NAFF ‘It Project’ of BIFAN Industry Gathering is
now open for submissions!
– Deadline for submissions: April 30, 2024
– 16 projects completed last year…Tiger Stripes won the Grand Prize in Critics’ Week at Cannes
After the NAFF award ceremony of the BIFAN Industry Gathering in 2023, the organizing and executive committee members took a commemorative photo with the winners.
Organizing Committee Chairperson CHO Yong-ik (right, first row) and Festival Director SHIN Chul (left, first row) taking commemorative photo with the winners.
The 28th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN, Festival Director SHIN Chul), is calling for entries for its industry program(B.I.G) ‘It Project’ until the Tuesday midnight, April 30 (GMT+9).
‘It Project’ is an Asian fantastic film project discovery program. The call for entries for the 2024 It Project is open to domestic and international feature-length and series projects. Feature-length genre film projects must have a running time of at least 60 minutes, and genre series projects must have a running time of at least 40 minutes per episode. The series projects have to include a minimum of 2 episodes in the treatment. It accepts various genre films such as horror, thriller, fantasy, action, black comedy, and science fiction. And the submissions are allowed for unfinished projects that have not yet completed production and investment.
Entries can be made through the BIFAN online submission site (https://vp.eventival.com/bifan/2024). Detailed information can be found on the website (https://www.bifan.kr) under “Submission”. For inquiries, please contact the Industry Program Team via email (naff.itproject@bifan.kr).
Selected projects will receive 4 nights of accommodation for the director and producer, as well as a badge to participate in the B.I.G events. The NAFF project business meetings held during the festival provide an opportunity to meet with genre film production, investment, and distribution professionals from around the world to seek investment, co-production, and distribution companies. Cash or/and in-kind support will be provided to outstanding projects selected through the final judging, be given at the NAFF Project Market Awards Ceremony of B.I.G Closing. The detailed category of the awards will be announced later.
Films selected by the NAFF It Project that were screened at the 2023 BIFAN. (Clockwise from top left) Restore Point(Director Robert HLOZ), Tiger Stripes(Director Amanda Nell EU), Helpless(Director JEON Seung-pyo), Nightmare(Director Kjersti Helen RASMUSSEN), Hungry Ghost Diner(Director CHO We jun), In My Mother’s Skin(Director Kenneth DAGATAN)
Among the selected NAFF It Projects, 16 films have been made over the past year. All of them have been recognized for their work through invitations and awards at domestic and international film festivals in 2023.
For example, Tiger Stripes(Director Amanda Nell EU) won the Grand Prize in Critics’ Week at Cannes, The Tenants(Director YOON Eunkyung) won the Best Director Award and the FIPRESCI Award at the Singapore International Film Festival last December. Marry My Dead Body(Director CHENG Weihao) took the Adapted Screenplay Award at the Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival. And Annapurna(Director HWANG Seungjae) received a Special Mention at the Dada Saheb Phalke Film Festival. Hungry Ghost Diner(Director CHO We jun) and The Cursed Land(Director Panu AREE, Kong RITHDEE) were invited to the Harbour section of the 53rd International Film Festival Rotterdam, Nightmare(Director Kjersti Helen RASMUSSEN) was invited to the Nordic Light section of the Göteborg Film Festival and the Tromsø International Film Festival, and In My Mother’s Skin(Director Kenneth DAGATAN) was invited to the Midnight section of the Sundance Film Festival.
Six of those films, including Tiger Stripes, Hungry Ghost Diner, Helpless, Nightmare, Restore Point, and In My Mother’s Skin came back to screening at BIFAN 2023, leading a new genre film trend with virtuous cycle.
Furthermore, Marry My Dead Body(Director CHENG Weihao), Annapurna(Director HWANG Seungjae), and Water Demon(Director LIM Jiehun) were released in theaters and met audiences.
B.I.G NAFF Managing Director Jongsuk Thomas NAM mentioned that since the launch of It Project in 2008, a total of 94 films have been produced, and these projects have achieved visible results every year after being screened at BIFAN. He also stated that BIFAN will continue to focus on providing specific support and efforts for future filmmakers, and hopes that many up-and-coming filmmakers with a fresh perspective can submit their unique projects.
The 28th BIFAN in 2024 will be held from July 4 to 14 in Bucheon. The NAFF Project Market of BIFAN Industry Gathering will take place for 4 days from July 6 to 9.
