13th Pusan International Film Festival announces Special Program in Focus

Superheroes, animation, music videos and omnibus films from Asia are in the spotlight of the Special Program in Focus at the 13th Pusan International Film Festival.

A campy mix of 11 superhero films from across Asia will be shown in "Superheros in Asia", featuring Malaysia's "Cicak Man", "Masked Rider" and "Gekko Kamen" from Japan, "Krrish" from India, "Hong Gil Dong" from Korea, "Darna" from Indonesia, "Lastickman" and "Captain Barbell" from the Philippines, "Mercury Man" from Thailand and "Super Inframan" from Hong Kong.

Feature-length animation is the focus of "Ani Asia!: A Leap of Asian Feature Animation", with a look at recent films from souch Southeast Asian countries as Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore.

"Music Videos by Asian Film Directors" will showcase music works by such directors as Wisit Sasanatieng and Pen-Ek Ratanaruang from Thailand, Malaysia's Ho Yuhang and Yasmin Ahmad and Japan's Yamashita Nobuhiro.

The "2008 Asian Omnibus Collection" will focus on this year's fertile crop of omnibus projects from Japan, Indonesia, India, Thailand and Korea.

Further afield, the fest will highlight the Romanian New Wave, and screen a retrospective of eight films by Italy's Taviani brothers will be screened at a retrospective.

Here's the complete listing of the Special Program in Focus

Superheroes in Asia

11 Features from 8 Countries

A Story of Hong Gil-Dong / Dong-Hun SHIN / Korea
Captain Barbell / Mac C. ALEHANDRE / Philippines
Cicak Man 2 / Yusry Abdul HALIM / Malaysia
Darna / Philippines
Darna Ajaib / Indonesia
Gekkō Kamen / Tsuneo KOBAYASHI / Japan
Krrish / Rakesh ROSHAN / India
Lastickman / Mac C. ALEHANDRE / Philippines
Masked Rider:The First / Takao NAGAISHI / Japan
Mercury Man / Bandit THONGDEE / Thailand
Super Inframan / Hua SHAN / Hong Kong

Romanian New Wave

12 Features

A Good Day for Swim / Bogdan MUSTATA
Crossing Dates / Damian ANCA
Hooked / Adrian SITARU
Liviu's Dream / Corneliu PORUMBOIU
Marilena from P7 / Cristian NEMESCU
Megatron / Marian CRISAN
Occident / Cristian MUNGIU
Stuff and Dough / Cristi PUIU
The Flower Bridge / Thomas CIULEI
The Paper will be Blue / Radu MUNTEAN
The Tube with a Hat / Rade JUDE
Traffic / Catalin MITULESCU

Retrospective on Taviani Brothers Selections

8 Features
Chaos (Kaos)
Good Morning Babylon (Good Morning Babilonia)
My Father, My Master (Padre padrone)
Night Sun (Il sole anche di notte)
The Elective Affinities (Le affinità elettive)
The Lark Farm (La masseria delle allodole)
The Night of San Lorenzo (La Notte di San Lorenzo)
Wild Flower (Fiorile)

Ani Asia!: A Leap of Asian Feature Animation

9 Features from 7 Countries
Budak Lapok / Anwardi JAMIL / Malaysia
Ghatothkacha / Singeetham SRINIVASA RAO / India
Hanuman Returns / Anurag KASHYAP / India
Ice / Makoto KOBAYASHI / Japan
Mazu / Shih-Jen LIN / Taiwan
Nak / Nattapong RATTANACHOKSIRIKUL / Thailand
Sing to the Dawn / Phil MITCHELl / Singapore
The Life of Buhhda / Krismant WHATTANANARONG / Thailand
Urduja / Mike Tuviera / Antonio TUVIERA / Philippines

Music Videos by Asian Film Directorss

14 Features from 7 Countries
Arms Of Marianne, Pete Teo, directed by Yuhang HO and Jordan SULEIMAN, Malaysia

Café Setareh, Shahkar Binesh, directed by Pajooh Saman MOGHADAM, Iran
Citizen Dog, Modern Dog, directed by Wisit SASANATIENG, Thailand
Flashback Love, Petch Osathanugrah, directed by Wisit SASANATIENG, Thailand
Here In My Home, Pete Teo with 45 singers, directed by Ho Yuhang and Yasmin Ahmad. Malaysia
I'm Fine, Rene Liu, directed by Wayne PENG, Thailand
I Still Love You So, Petch Osathanugrah, directed by Pen-ek RATANARUANG. Thailand
Lily Anatakikou, directed byNobuhiro YAMASITA, Japan
Lost in America, Pete Teo, directed by Tony PIETRA and Jordan SULEIMANS, Malaysia
Practise, Andy Lau, directed by Daniel YU, Hong Kong
Semua Yang, Terlambat Marcell, directed by Edwin, Indonesia
The Last El-Bimbo, The Eraserheads, directed by Auraeus SOLITO, Philippines
War, Mute Agency, directed by Saman MOGHADAM, Iran
3 Days to Forever, Float, directed by Edwin, Indonesia

2008 Asian Omnibus Collection Selections
7 Features from 6 Countries
(in Alphabetical order)

A Decade of Love / Hong Kong
: Ten of Hong Kong directors show their perspectives on the changes of people's life in Hong Kong after 1997, the return of Hong Kong to China.

- A Dream of Hope / Marco Mak, Azrael CHUNG
- Far Away Eyes / Wai-hung CHANG
- Old Peak Road / Aubrey LAM
- Open Rice / Kung Lok LEE, Szeto Kam YUEN
- Paper Papa / Toe YUEN
- Qing Pang / Ching Po WONG
- Red Egg on the Road / Wing Chiu CHAN
- Rock Lion Rock / Wah Chuen LAM
- The Aureola / Chung Ka CHEONG
- The Last Bid / Yat Tak YEUNG

ABC Short Films / Japan
: This is Japanese omnibus film, collecting 5 short films of 5 directors based on the subject, ‘children'.
- Daikon~Dining Table's Contemporart / Yoichi SAI
- Observatory / Jinji SAKAMOTO
- To The Future / Kazuyuki IZUTSU
- Tagatame / Sang-il LEE
- Yesterday Once More / Kazuki OMORI

Chants of Lotus / Indonesia
: In the film, the life of women is portrayed by 4 Indonesian women such as Nia DINATA.
- Chant from a Village [Cerita Cibinong] / Nia DINATA
- Chant from a Tourist Town [Cerita Yogya] / Upi
- Chant from an Island [Cerita Pulau] / Fatimah T.RONY
- Chant from the Capital City / Lasja F. SUSATYO

If You Were Me 4 / Korea
: This omnibus film is the fourth project of National Human Rights Commission of Korea, dealing with the human rights of teenagers by new and leading Korean directors.
- Blue Birds on the Desk / Eun-Jin PANG
- Girl on the Run / Taeyong KIM
- Relay / Hyeon-Seung LEE
- The Theory & Practice of Teenage Drama / Seong-Ho YOON
- U and Me / Gye-Su JEON

Mumbai Cutting / India
: Different features of human in a large city Mumbai are revealed by 11 Indian directors.
- And It Rained / Manish JHA
- Anjane Dost / Jahnu BARUA
- Bombay High / Ayush RAINA
- Bombay Mumbai Same Shit / Rahul DHOLAKIA
- Hero / Kundan SHAH
- Jo Palti Nahi Woh Rickshaw Kya / Ruchi NARAIN
- Parcel / Revathi
- Pramod Bhai 23 / Anurag KASHYAB
- The Ball / Sudhir MISHRA
- Urge / Rituparno GOSH
- 10MinuTes / Shashank GHOSH

4 Prang / Thailand
: Four talented directors in Thailand deliver fear in different ways.
- Happiness / Yongyuth THONGKONGTOON
- In the Middle / Banjong PISANTHANAKUN
- Last Fright / Parkpoom WONGPOOM
- Tit for Tat / Paween PURIJITPANYA

9808 / Indonesia
: Commemorating the 10th anniversary of the democratic movement in Indonesia, ten directors gathered for the omnibus film in 1997.
- A Letter of Unprotected Memories / Lucky KUSWANDI
- Happiness Morning Light / Ifa ISFANSYAH
- Meet Jen / Hafiz
- Our School Our Life / Steve Pillar SETIABUDI
- Sugiharti Halim / Ariani DARMAWAN
- The Cat 9808 A Note of a Former Demonstrator / Wisnu SURYAPRATAMA
- The Unfinished One / Ucu AGUSTIN
- Trip to the Wound / Edwin
- Where was I? / Anggun PRIAMBODO
- Yesterday / Otti WIDASARI