Pusan film fest wraps up nine-day run on mixed note

At the climax of "Evangelion 1.0: You Are (Not) Alone," to be screened today to close the Pusan International Film Festival, in Busan, the fate of the planet hangs in the balance. Half of the human population has been eliminated, and a 14-year-old boy has to save the world.

In the real-world version, "PIFF 12.0: Fans Are (Not) Alone," critics and local press seem to have almost made up their minds about the ending: The festival has expanded dramatically in the past decade, but its operations and management have a long way to go.

The country's biggest film festival, which got off to a shaky start due in part to protracted bad weather and a series of poor operational choices, is winding down today amid not-so-spectacular reviews and reactions from visiting fans.

The closing ceremony will screen "Evangelion" at the main stage set up in the scenic Haeundae beach, signaling the end of the 12th edition of the Asia-oriented film festival which featured a total of 275 films from 64 countries.

Despite the respectable scale, the festival organizers struggled to justify minor operational mistakes and some critical mismanagement throughout the festival period. The loudest grumbling came from fans who found themselves stranded in downtown Busan due to sudden cancellations of outdoor events.

Also embarrassing for the organizing committee was an incident involving Ennio Morricone, a world-renowned musician known for his famous cinema music. He visited Busan to participate in the opening ceremony, but local media reported that he allegedly got mistreated by the festival staff and, displeased by the lack of respect, he left the festival earlier than expected. PIFF organizers, however, denied that Morricone left the city according to his plans, not because he was offended.

In addition to the Morricone incident, a steady stream of delays and cancellations of events dampened the festive mood. The high-profile Open Talk session featuring Jeon Do-yeon and Kang Su-yeon sparked uproars because its venue changed at the last minute without prior notice.

Even local actors and filmmakers did not show their support as they did last year. The number of stars visiting Busan went down significantly, disappointing some fans who wanted to take a look at famous stars.

But the overall results are not so gloomy. As of Tuesday, 184,000 people are estimated to have joined the festival. The figure is impressive considering that the weather was hostile throughout the festival period, and it still surpassed the total number of visitors -- about 165,000 -- for the 2006 edition. The organizers predicted that the number of visitors would hit the 200,000 mark today.

The better-than-expected performance in attracting ordinary fans is largely helped by the revamped ticket reservation system. Unlike previous editions which restricted the purchase of tickets, PIFF allows for easy online and offline reservation.

Some of the new programs and projects have also produced tangible results. For instance, the inaugural Asia Pacific Actors Network proved its potential as a forum where Asian actors can work together on Asia-oriented film projects.

The Asia Cinema Fund, worth 800 million won ($872,000), was also warmly received. The fund helps Asian filmmakers to plan, produce and screen their films at PIFF, a comprehensive incubation system which is badly needed for talented young directors in the region.

At the Star Summit Asia, eight actors from Korea, Japan and China were selected as next-generation film stars, an event that focuses exclusively on Asian actors, reflecting the growing importance of local talents.

A key positive sign, defying all the negative reviews about the festival's management, was that the bulk of tickets for weekday films sold fairly well, suggesting that fans, after all, did care about PIFF and a wide range of Asian films.