34th Busan International Short Film Festival Guest Country ’CANADA’

Meet Canada in its 150th founding anniversary, a history of reconciliation and coexistence through film and performance.

One of the main programs of the 34th Busan International Short Film Festival, the Guest Country Program, has selected Canada in its 150th founding anniversary. Now in its 6th year since France in 2012, the Guest Country Program has been designed to provide an opportunity to understand various facets of a country including its culture and society through diverse short films. This year, meet Canada’s different short films and performances.

Canada uses both English and French as its official languages, and has not spared costs investing in the diversity of cultures, becoming the first country in the world to adopt a policy of multiculturalism in 1971. Many first-class short films are produced in Canada, especially documentaries and animations. It is also a leader in producing contents in the new media field, such as interactive and VR.

The 4 programs planned in celebration of Canada’s 150th founding anniversary will provide a meaningful venue to experience various Canadian cultures of the past and present.

There are a total of 30 Canadian short films lined up awaiting the Busan International Short Film Festival audience. ‘Canadian Panorama’ will showcase the trending noteworthy short films in Canada, ‘Canada First Nations’ will tell the tale about the Canadian natives, First Nations, and the ‘National Film Board of Canada Special’ will showcase the best films produced by the National Film Board of Canada, which is said to be the core institution in new media contents. In addition, the ‘BISFF Talk: Duet’ program will provide a better understanding of Canadian films by giving Canadian directors a chance to talk about their experiences and stories about film with the audience.

First Nation rapper Samian will be visiting Korea for a modern yet characteristically First Nation performance during the opening ceremony on April 25. Three ‘VR project’ films hosted by Ana Serrano, the Chief Digital Officer of the CFC and founder of the CFC Media Lab, will be playing during the duration of the film festival at the Busan Cinema Center Cine Lounge on the 6th floor as an exhibition experience program. Also, the ‘Canadian Spotlight’ will be hosting two Canadian films and a performance by Samian on April 26 at F1963 (formerly Kiswire).

The films and performance of the ‘Guest Country Program: Canada’ is made possible by joint efforts in comradeship and trust with the Embassy of Canada to Korea and the Gouvernement Québec and Korea.