The case of the Busan International Film Festivalby the flow of commercialized popular culture—are propelled. In this way, “inhabitants of Asian
capital cities are increasingly oriented towards a cosmopolitan look” (He and Brown 2012, 431).
The emergence of the BIFF marked Busan as one of these global cities. Whereas previously
Busan was not recognized on a worldwide scale, the BIFF launched with the “aim of transfer-
ring the culture foci from other cosmopolitan Asian cities such as Hong Kong and Tokyo to the
local city of Korea” (Choi 2010, 5).
The shaping of urban spaces by cinema as a cultural, material, and social practice is one of the
distinctive features of globalization. As Mark Shiel notes, cinema as an industry provides cities
with a subnational driving force in developing civic identities and a renewed function to cope
effectively with the changing global economy (2001). The BIFF has attempted to develop links
between the urban image of Busan and its festival identity as a hub of Asian cinema. To achieve
this aim, the festival and the local community have established an efficient infrastructure in
efforts to become an industrial base for Asian cinema. After the BIFF substantiated its value, the
Cinematheque Busan, the Busan Film Commission, the Busan Cinema Studio at the Yachting
Center Haeundae, the Asia Film Industry Center, and the Asian Film Commissions Network
(AFCNet) were subsequently built.^11 Most importantly, in October 2013, the Korean Film
Council (KOFIC) and the Korean Rating Board relocated their offices from Seoul to Busan
as part of a long-standing government effort to support the development of regional cities.^12
Indeed, Busan is well on its way to becoming an indispensable one-stop shop for both the
regional and local film industry.
It is also useful to mention the role that the Busan Film Commission (BFC), alongside the
BIFF, plays in the city’s local economy. The BFC coordinates productions, including offering
assistance with location scouting, shooting permissions, traffic control, and rental services. Since
hosting the BIFF, Busan has been making a tremendous effort to accommodate the burgeon-
ing local and regional film industry. For example, the city’s official reports repeatedly men-
tioned the city’s vision and potential as Asia’s prime yongsang sanup doshi (visual industrial city)
(Park 2014, 141). This effort demonstrates the ambition and desire of the local government of
Busan, who want films to be commissioned in the city, to further evolve the festival. Alongside
the BFC, the city constructed the Busan Cinema Studios and the Busan Postproduction Center.
Large numbers of Korean feature films now shoot in Busan. Over the years, it has also hosted
international productions such as the Japanese film Hero (2007) and the Hollywood film Beverly
Hills Ninja 2 (2008) (Focus on Asia 2013, 105).
a new role as a producer in the global film industry
Organizers have used the rhetoric of “Asianness” regularly since the festival’s inception. It was,
however, not until after the success of the first APM that the BIFF had the confidence to fully
embrace initiating an Asia-oriented approach. Apparently, the APM’s development and success
are linked to the strong commercial imperatives—an outgrowth of globalization—prevalent in
the national and regional film industries. To differentiate itself from the Hong Kong and Tokyo
film festivals, the BIFF created new channels of finance and coproduction for Asian films to
access the global distribution circuit. Each year the festival showcases a select number of Asian
film projects in different stages of development and production, awarding funding and providing
an opportunity for filmmakers to meet prospective financiers.
It is widely recognized that film festivals are beginning to play a new role in the global film
industry, as a new kind of producer, actively engaging with production as well as the exhibition
and distribution processes. Through the effective operation of the APM, the BIFF has expanded
the boundaries of its festival functions and intensified the publicity surrounding the event