Francis Galluppi’s The Last Stop In Yuma County scooped the Best of Bucheon Award at this year’s Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN), while Esper’s Light, directed by Jung Jae-hoon, took the top award in the separate Korean Fantastic Features competition.
Produced by XYZ Films, US crime drama The Last Stop In Yuma County revolves around a set of characters who collide in remote desert location in Arizona. The jury said the film, which also won the Audience Award, “intricately delves into the lives of the characters, offering a profound exploration of the mulitfaceted aspects of human nature as serendipitous events and aspirations intersect.”
The jury for the Bucheon Choice competition for international features was headed by Korean actor Park Joong-hoon and also included Korean producer Kim Seonah, Japanese director Sabu and US producer Jason Taylor. Also in this section, JT Mollner won best director for Strange Darling and Liao Ming Yi’s Suffocating Love won the Jury’s Choice Award (see full list of winners below).
Esper’s Light follows a group of teenagers who live in a world where anyone can be whoever they want and create any story they wish. The separate Korean Fantastic Features jury said the film “introduces a new and thought-provoking narrative characterised by a unique composition, language, and direction, seamlessly blending the realities and fantasies of adolescents as portrayed in both documentary and fiction.”
Other winners in the Korean Fantastic Features competition included Kim Min-ha’s Idiot Girls And School Ghost: School Anniversary, which won best director and the Watcha’s Pick award, while Lee Yun-seok’s You Will Die In 6 Hours took awards for Korean Fantastic Actor and the Audience Award (see more winners below).
The jury for the Korean Fantastic: Features competition was headed by Kim Dong Hyun, head of the Seoul Independent Film Festival, and also included producer Kim Young-min and film critic Song Kyung Won, who is also editor-in-chief at Korea’s Cine21 magazine.
Korean actress Jung Yi-seo and actor Jang Sung-bum presided over the awards ceremony, which was attended by international guests inclding Hong Kong director Soi Cheang, whose Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In is playing as the closing film of the festival.
BIFAN kicked off on July 4 and wraps on July 14. See here for details of the award winners in BIFAN’s NAFF Project Market.
BIFAN 2024 AWARD WINNERS:
BUCHEON CHOICE: FEATURES
Best of Bucheon KRW20m ($15,000): The Last Stop In Yuma County, dir: Francis Galluppi
Best Director Choice KRW5m ($4,000): Strange Darling, dir: JT Mollner
Jury’s Choice KRW5m ($4,000): Suffocating Love, dir: Liao Ming Yi
Audience Award: The Last Stop In Yuma County, dir: Francis Galluppi
KOREAN FANTASTIC: FEATURES
Best Korean Fantastic Film KRW20m ($15,000): Esper’s Light, dir: Jung Jae-hoon
Korean Fantastic Best Director KRW5m ($4,000): Idiot Girls And School Ghost: School Anniversary, dir: Kim Min-ha
Korean Fantastic Actors: Kim Daegun in The Tenants, Park Ju-hyun in You Will Die In 6 Hours
Special Mention: Pig That Survived Foot-and-Mouth Disease, dir: Hur Bum-wook
Korean Fantastic Audience Award: You Will Die In 6 Hours, dir: Lee Yun-seok
Nonghyup Distribution Award KRW10m ($8,000): Base Station, dir: Park Syeyoung and Yeon Yeji
Watcha’s Pick for Korean Fantastic KRW3m ($2,300): Idiot Girls And School Ghost: School Anniversary, dir: Kim Min-ha
OTHER JURIES:
Méliès International Festivals Federation (MIFF) Award for Best Asian Film: Steppenwolf, dir: Adіlkhan Yerzhanov
NETPAC Award: Who’ll Stop The Rain, dir: Su I-hsuan
Odd Family Award: Pigsy, dir: Chiu Li Wei