The Energy of Pusan

I grew up in Japan. Pusan gave me a sense of nostalgia I did not expect from a country I had never visited. Some organizer told us that, during those two weeks of festival, all the bath houses in Pusan get so packed with college students you had no room to walk in the changing room. They sleep there. They come from all over the country? to watch the films, meet the filmmakers and actors. I talked with a few of them after the screening, and I learned that each of them had something very important to tell me about my film. These were no passive observers. They took ownership on their own cinema experience and shared it with you with pride. Filmmakers and the audience were equal partners. The festival felt big and important, but the energy was definitely coming from the regular Korean folks who just loved the films.?