Netflix War Epic to Open Asia’s Largest Film Festival

In this file photo taken on October 4, 2023, children pose for photos next to large letters displayed for the 28th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) at the Busan Cinema Center in Busan. (AFP)
In this file photo taken on October 4, 2023, children pose for photos next to large letters displayed for the 28th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) at the Busan Cinema Center in Busan. (AFP)
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Netflix War Epic to Open Asia’s Largest Film Festival

In this file photo taken on October 4, 2023, children pose for photos next to large letters displayed for the 28th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) at the Busan Cinema Center in Busan. (AFP)
In this file photo taken on October 4, 2023, children pose for photos next to large letters displayed for the 28th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) at the Busan Cinema Center in Busan. (AFP)

A Netflix period war drama produced by South Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook will open Asia's largest film festival Wednesday, the first time a streaming title has kicked off the event.

Directed by Kim Sang-man and featuring Korean megastar Gang Dong-won in a lead role, "Uprising" is one of 224 official entries at this year's Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), which runs until October 11.

The film has attracted significant attention ahead of its world premiere thanks largely to the involvement of Park, best-known for ultra-violent thrillers like 2003's "Old Boy", which played a key role in bringing South Korean cinema to the global forefront.

Park was a screenwriter and producer on "Uprising", a story set during Korea's Joseon Dynasty about two friends who grow up together -- but become enemies when war breaks out in the country.

"I believed it was a work that could appeal to the public (the most) among all the (BIFF) opening films in history," Park Do-shin, the festival's acting director, has said of the choice.

Streaming-only content like Netflix's "Squid Game" and the Apple TV+ series "Pachinko" have contributed to a significant surge in the global visibility of Korean and Korean diaspora stories in recent years.

Busan's 2024 line-up reflects how that content has become an "important part of our culture," BIFF programmer Jung Han-seok said.

On Wednesday morning, ahead of the opening ceremony, visitors were already queuing at festival venues, while the red carpet for the star-studded opening ceremony had been laid out.

- Why streaming? -

The decision to open this year's edition with a major streaming title, however, has sparked criticism within South Korea's cinema community, as BIFF has long been dedicated to supporting emerging talents in Asia as well as small-scale, independent films.

"I find it disappointing that a streaming title was selected as the opening film," Kay Heeyoung Kim, who owns film studio K-Dragon, told AFP.

"The challenges confronting the theatre-based physical film market and filmmakers can be partly attributed to the streaming platforms."

This year's edition also comes as organizers still grapple with the fallout from former festival director Huh Moon-yung, who resigned last year amid accusations of sexual misconduct. The director position remains vacant.

The South Korean government's budget for supporting film festivals including BIFF was also slashed by half this year.

Despite those setbacks, this year's 29th edition is presenting about 15 more films than last year, organizers said, with 86 world premieres.

- Award winners -

BIFF will posthumously honor South Korean actor Lee Sun-kyun, screening six of the actor's film and television works, including "Parasite", "Our Sunhi" (2013) and a portion of TV series "My Mister" (2018).

Best known globally for his starring role in Bong Joon-ho's 2019 Oscar-winner "Parasite", Lee was found dead in an apparent suicide last year after a two-month investigation into suspected drug use, sparking public outrage over what many perceived as an excessive police interrogation.

Meanwhile, filmmaker Kiyoshi Kurosawa, best known for his contributions to the Japanese horror genre, will receive the festival's Asian Filmmaker of the Year award, joining the ranks of previous winners such as Hong Kong legends Tony Leung and Chow Yun Fat.

The Japanese filmmaker is showcasing two new films at BIFF this year: the violent thriller "Cloud" and "Serpent's Path", a French-language remake of his 1998 film of the same name.

Other notable world premieres include "RM: Right People, Wrong Place", a documentary on K-pop sensation BTS member RM and the making of his second solo album.

Chung, Yu Chieh, a 39-year-old visitor from Taiwan, said she was excited about South Korean director Hur Jin-ho's latest film, "A Normal Family" - a psychological thriller featuring two upper-class couples seemingly leading perfect lives.

Featuring some of the most celebrated veteran performers in South Korea - including actress Kim Hee-ae and actor Jang Dong-gun - the film is one of the most anticipated homegrown films to be featured at BIFF this year.

"I believe (the festival) will be very special," she told AFP.

BIFF's industry platform, the Asian Contents and Film Market, will host a conference focused on the integration of AI in content production -- a current hot-button issue in Hollywood.

Companies including South Korea's CJ ENM, Chinese VOD service iQIYI and Microsoft will take part.



Doctor to Plead Guilty to Supplying Ketamine to ‘Friends’ Star Matthew Perry 

Matthew Perry appears at the GQ Men of the Year Party in West Hollywood, Calif., on Nov. 17, 2022. (AP) 
Matthew Perry appears at the GQ Men of the Year Party in West Hollywood, Calif., on Nov. 17, 2022. (AP) 
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Doctor to Plead Guilty to Supplying Ketamine to ‘Friends’ Star Matthew Perry 

Matthew Perry appears at the GQ Men of the Year Party in West Hollywood, Calif., on Nov. 17, 2022. (AP) 
Matthew Perry appears at the GQ Men of the Year Party in West Hollywood, Calif., on Nov. 17, 2022. (AP) 

A California doctor charged in the overdose death of "Friends" star Matthew Perry has agreed to plead guilty to four counts of illegal distribution of the drug ketamine, according to a court filing on Monday.

Salvador Plasencia, who operated an urgent care clinic in Malibu, faces up to 40 years in prison, according to a statement from prosecutors. He is expected to enter the guilty plea in the coming weeks.

Plasencia was one of five people charged in the death of Perry at age 54. An autopsy found the actor died from acute effects of ketamine and other factors that caused him to lose consciousness and drown in his hot tub in October 2023.

Ketamine is a short-acting anesthetic with hallucinogenic properties. It is sometimes prescribed to treat depression and anxiety but also abused by recreational users.

In the plea agreement, Plasencia admitted to injecting Perry with ketamine at the actor's home and in a Santa Monica parking lot in the weeks before his death, in exchange for thousands of dollars, and that it was "not for legitimate medical purposes."

Plasencia obtained the ketamine from another doctor, Mark Chavez of San Diego. According to earlier court filings, Plasencia texted Chavez about Perry, saying: "I wonder how much this moron will pay."

Chavez and two other defendants already have pleaded guilty in the case. None has yet been sentenced.

A fifth defendant, Jasveen Sangha, whom authorities said was a drug dealer known to customers as the "ketamine queen," has been charged with supplying the dose that killed Perry. She has pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to go on trial in August.

Perry had publicly acknowledged decades of substance abuse, including during the years he starred as Chandler Bing on the hit 1990s television sitcom "Friends."