Park Kwang-su nominated as Busan Film Festival Chairman

LOS ANGELES — South Korean filmmaker and industry administrator Park Kwang-su, who is considered the leader of the ‘New Korean Cinema’ movement, has been nominated as the next chairman of the Busan International Film Festival, following a period of behind-the-scenes turmoil.

The event, however, has not yet begun the process of selecting a new festival director, reports Variety.

Park, who was an early pioneer of the Korean New Wave Cinema in the 1990s as producer and director, later shifted more towards academic and industry administrative roles.

As per Variety, he was named as the sole candidate for the role of chairman, by a sub-committee of the Busan festival’s Innovation Committee.

Park studied film at the ESEC film school in Paris, then returned to Korea to work as an assistant director to Lee Chang-Ho.

He made his own first feature in 1988, and in 1993 became the first Korean filmmaker to found his own production company. His films have garnered critical acclaim and he has received numerous domestic and international awards for his films.