The 29th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN, Executive Chairman Shin Chul) is gearing up for its July opening by unveiling its official main posters (in Korean and English) on the 13th.
This year's poster is a groundbreaking collaboration between Studio Freewillusion (CEO Kwon Han-seul), a pioneer in AI filmmaking and AI video production in South Korea, and artist Park Shin-yang. The studio reinterpreted Park's works, "Palette" and "Donkey 13," using AI technology, showcasing a dynamic and paradoxical boundary where pure art meets technology.
Motifs of 'eyes' and 'donkeys' from Luis Bunuel and Salvador Dali's surrealist short film "Un Chien Andalou" play a significant role in the poster. Here, 'eyes' represent the rational and conventional perspective on reality, while 'donkeys' symbolize hidden desires and instinctual impulses. This year's BIFAN poster aims to highlight the subtle gap between pure art and AI technology through these two metaphors.
In the poster, the 'donkey' stands as a symbol of the artist and pure art, while the 'eye' on its path represents a new perspective that transcends all existing boundaries. The artist (donkey) embarks on a journey towards a new artistic horizon, navigating the boundary between AI noise and the palette.
"Stay Strange," the slogan that has come to define BIFAN, is used again this year. The festival slogan, nestled within an eye, and the fantasy cells at the bottom, balance the boundary between technology and art, reality and surrealism. Such a poster, breaking down these boundaries, reveals the identity of BIFAN, which has always supported diverse talents within the genre film festival scene.
Park Shin-yang, known for his memorable performances in dramas like "Lovers in Paris," "War of Money," and "Sign," showcased his unique artistic world in 2023 with his first solo exhibition "The Fourth Wall." He continues to engage in active artistic endeavors both domestically and internationally, having published a book sharing his artistic philosophy titled "The Fourth Wall" and holding an exhibition in Osaka, Japan.
Kwon Han-seul, CEO of Studio Freewillusion, who took on the poster art direction and design direction, received special mention at BIFAN 2024 and has been a topic of discussion as a representative of South Korea at an international AI conference. Currently, Studio Freewillusion is recognized both domestically and internationally as an AI specialist production company, holding the most AI film production demonstrations in South Korea.
The 29th BIFAN will take place from July 3rd to July 13th in Bucheon City.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kim Ji-hye)