Let Eko Kuntadhi Speak What, Obviously Nussa At BIFAN Is Pride

Nusa Rara (Instagram / @visinemaid)

JAKARTA - Animated by the nation's children, Nussa will premiere at the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN). The film festival will be held in South Korea (South Korea) and will take place from 8-18 July 2021. Let's see how great BIFAN is.

"The opportunity to premiere in the world at the 25th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN) after being selected as a film for the Family Section category," said the production house, Visinema via Instagram.

However, not everyone welcomed Nussa's presence at BIFAN. A comment was uploaded by Eko Kuntadhi's Twitter account.

"Is this a photo of an Indonesian child? No. Men's clothing is very typical of the Taliban. Children of Afghanistan. But the film Nusa Rara wants to be promoted throughout the world. So that the world thinks, Indonesia is a branch of the caliphate. Or part of the Taliban's rule. A destructive promotion!" he said.

The film Nussa tells the story of a boy named Nussa who faces new problems in his life. Nussa, who is an expert in science, now faces a new kid who beats him in the science competition.

He also faced disappointment because his father did not keep his promise. In this film, Nussa is described as experiencing a new learning that makes her understand life more. With that problem, Nussa became a more mature child.

Nussa is not the only one

Citing Media Indonesia, apart from Nussa, there is another Indonesian film that will be screened at BIFAN 2021. The film is directed by Riri Riza, entitled Paranoia.

The film, starring Nicholas Saputra and Nirina Zubir, premiered in the world for the first time at BIFAN. In addition, there are 108 Days directed by Lucky Kuswandi, participating in the NAFF (Network of Asian Fantastic Films) Project Market.

108 Days became one of 19 film projects selected for It Project. Annisa Adjam and Ernest Lesmana, two Indonesian filmmakers also participated in NAFF Fantastic Film School, a film education program from BIFAN.

Previously made films from Indonesia were also present at BIFAN several times. In 2020, Joko Anwar's "Women of the Land of Hell" airs on the World Fantastic Red program on BIFAN.

The women of Tanah Jahanam were awarded the Melies International Festivals Federation (MIFF) Award for Best Asian Film. The MIFF Award is an award given to promote and encourage the development of the "fantastic" film genre in Asia.

The Scene of the Women of the Land of Hell (Source: IMDB)

In addition to the Women of the Land of Hell, there is the Queen of the Dark Arts (Kimo Stamboel), Abracadabra (Faozan Rizal), and Joko's other film Gundala. Joko Anwar did not only attend BIFAN once.

In 2018, Joko Anwar was present to represent his film Pengabdi Setan. Not only that, Joko was also invited to give a masterclass at the festival.

Other Joko Anwar films that have participated in the BIFAN event are Dead Time: Kala in 2007, Pintu Forbidden in 2009 which won Best Film, and Modus Anomali in 2011.

About BIFAN

BIFAN is an annual film festival devoted to the fantasy, horror, and science fiction film genres, the largest in South Korea since 1997. This year BIFAN will screen a total of 258 films from 47 countries.

This year's BIFAN has the theme 'Stay Strange.' BIFAN has eight categories: Bucheon Choice, World Fantastic Cinema, Fantastic Short Films, Forbidden Zone, Family Fanta, Ani-Fanta, Special Programs, and Retrospectives.

During the festival, 146 films -- 61 features, 85 short films -- will be broadcast online via South Korean streaming platform Wavve. This is part of an effort to maintain social distance amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The opening of BIFAN will be the world premiere of Taiwanese director Giddens Go who worked on Till We Meet Again. The film is about a young man who, after being struck by lightning, loses his memory, then works as a god of love.

He betrothed men and women on Earth, tying them together using a red string. “Amid the uncertainty, our message to the audience is 'it's okay to be weird.'"

"Oddity can be a powerful vehicle through which one can find a unique path for himself and adapt to the new normal," festival director Shin Chul said during a press conference at Fantastic Cube in Bucheon, Gyeonggi, citing the Korea Times.

BIFAN 2017 red carpet (Source: Commons Wikimedia)

In addition, BIFAN also held film classes. However, due to the pandemic, classes are held online. BIFAN encourages understanding of different cultures through film arts.

BIFAN was also organized to facilitate the exchange of ideas among film industry professionals from around the world and Korea. The festival also promotes not only film but also the production and distribution of "fantastic" genre films.

The festival faced a boycott in 2005 due to protests from critics. The protests are seen as meddling by Bucheon Mayor Hong Geon-pyo who owns a rival show called RealFanta.

RealFanta is held on the same date as BIFAN. The festival was held again in 2006 without dispute under the direction of veteran filmmaker Lee Jang-ho and a new programming team.

The films that have participated in BIFAN include Memory: the Origins of Alien, Gooseflesh, A Girl Missing, Hunger, and I WeirDo. Indeed, there are many films that seem unique and cannot be found in many films, this is because BIFAN has chosen films that are considered "new genres" and will introduce them to the whole world.

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