Along with its full program, the 2012 Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival (PiFan) has released a list of the 12 Korean feature films it will screen as part of this year’s edition, which will run from July 19-29. The list boasts five world premieres in addition to one Asian premiere and one Korean premiere.

 

Making its world premiere as PiFan 2012’s Opening Film will be the concisely titled four-part omnibus <Horror Stories>, with contributions from directors JUNG Bum-shik, KIM Gok, KIM Sun, IM Dae-woong, HONG Ji-yeong and MIN Kyu-dong.

 

Nine domestic films will show in the non-competitive World Fantastic Cinema section. Making their world premieres are two feature debuts -- PARK Sun-wook’s <90 Minutes>, KIM Yeon-soo’s <The Crucible> -- as well as <Dirty Blood> from KANG Hyo-jin (<Twilight Gangsters>, 2010). These will be joined by four films that have previously had a domestic release, including KIM Taekyoung’s cyber-horror <Don't Click>, the sci-fi omnibus <Doomsday Book> from YIM Pil-sung and KIM Jee-woon, and two dark-tinged comedies -- HWANG In-ho’s <Spellbound> and Woo Seon-ho’s <Over My Dead Body>. Rounding out local productions in the World Fantastic Cinema section will be BACK Seung-kee’s feature debut <Super Virgin> as well as <Young Gun in the Time>, the second feature from OH Young-doo, whose debut <Invasion of Alien Bikini> screened at PiFan 2011 and also won the grand prize at Japan’s Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival. <Young Gun in the Time> will be making its Korean premiere.

 

In PiFan’s non-competitive Vision Express section will be Jae SOH and KIM Chang-lae’s <Let Me Out>, a coming-of-age zombie tale making its Asian premiere fresh from an appearance at the 2012 Dallas International Film Festival. Joining it is KIM Kyung-mook’s <Stateless Things>, which has traveled to a variety of well-regarded festivals over the previous year, including the 2011 Venice International Film Festival and 2012 International Film Festival Rotterdam.

 

PiFan began in 1997 and has developed into one of Asia’s largest venues for genre films and their enthusiasts. In addition to striking cooperative agreements with both the Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival in Japan and the European Fantastic Film Federation, PiFan has also held its own project market, the Network of Asian Fantastic Films, since 2008.