[Entertainment] 6th MIFFest Forum Collaboration With BIFAN featuring Ellen Kim and Kim Sung Hwan

[Entertainment] 6th MIFFest Forum Collaboration With BIFAN featuring Ellen Kim and Kim Sung Hwan

Kuala Lumpur, 2023 – 6th Malaysia International Film Festival (MIFFest) has collaborated with the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN), and its lecturers include BIFAN programmer Ellen Kim and "Iron Mask" filmmaker Kim Sung Hwan. "Models and Scenarios for the Global Success of Genre Cinema" is the forum's theme.

Ellen Kim, the Programme Director of BIFAN, and Kim Sung Hwan, the Director of the film "Iron Mask," were here in this forum to share their valuable opinions and suggestions with audiences at GSC MyTown, KL. 

"It's challenging because we always have a lot to tell in a film, sometimes some sensitive topics that we're too busy to consider," said Kim Sung Hwan. “Thinking about our films, our existence, unanswered issues, and even budget limits. We become more social and work more. I recall going to the movies to unwind, to enjoy the film and the ambiance, and to let go of my worries. It's always a good method to transport listeners from their everyday lives to a another realm. A smart director incorporates a good question into a picture, and spectators change their minds after watching; two hours are valuable for a filmmaker." 

Kim Sung Hwan stated for the film "Iron Mask" that he attempted to focus on sound effects and approach the audiences. When "Iron Mask" was screened in theatres, he sat back and observed how the crowd reacted, whether they were astonished, tense, or fell asleep. 

Ellen Kim's professional advice on the issues of language in the Genre Movies industry: "People said that comedy is the most difficult in this issue." Thailand and Vietnam offer romantic comedy and action comedy films, however these are too infrequent for outsiders to learn other countries' humour and culture. For international audiences to experience, genre films have some power. For example, while "Squid Game" is not a film, it has clear rules and games are widely appreciated by global audiences. It's a great way to learn about other cultures and how people live."

For this question, Kim Sung Hwan recalled Charlie Chaplin's film, in which viewers laughed despite the lack of dialogue. During the pandemic, audiences prefer to stay at home and watch Netflix. It is a struggle for filmmakers nowadays to get moviegoers to return to the cinema. It's never comparable to experiencing fantastic cinematic aspects like sound and vision effects in a theatre. 

Kim Sung Hwan also discussed how Korean culture has become popular. He pondered when the fad started, and he guessed it all started with PSY's song "Gangnam Style." It's a major surprise to him that "Squid Game" has suddenly become popular. 

When Kim Sung Hwan was asked how AI, which is currently trending, becomes a threat to us, he informed the audience, "AI appears to be a threat, but actually we can use it to help us." Have you got a story to tell? Trends are becoming easier to predict because we now have AI to help us express our story."

Ellen Kim and Kim Sung Hwan taught viewers a lot, and here is some advice they gave to Malaysian filmmakers: "Being too 'new' is a trap." We always want to be unique and unusual, yet this can be off-putting to audiences. You must understand the balance. I always ask myself, "What do I really care about?" What is the story I want to tell? I'll be naturally different from others if I dig myself deep enough. Be willing to try new things. Kim Sung Hwan stated, "Live well."

"You must watch a large number of films and films." Many Korean filmmakers view a film multiple times, evaluate it scene by shot, and dig it until there is nothing left. There are so many clichés with the same features. You must be really imaginative, adjust the regulations, and so forth. "Invention is good, but you must master it," Ellen Kim stated.

Ellen Kim, on the other hand, responded to the question of what to focus on while filming with international co-production. "I've previously collaborated with China," she explained. We focussed on only one country at the moment, which simplified things. But nowadays, when global aspects are so perfectly blended, we should produce something original and natural. Singapore's "Ajoomma" is a nice example. Perhaps the premise could be that the main character enjoys or wishes to discover another nation and culture; some interesting concepts I've seen include the main character attempting to be a Korean pop idol, for example. To be honest, it is challenging for Malaysians.  Filmmakers aim to be basic in their approach to audiences, but it is sometimes too simple, and it takes a long time to affect them. However, you should speak up about the story you wish to tell. "I'm looking forward to seeing the sparks in the art piece when it's finished."

Finally, Kim Sung Hwan stated that films are all about entertaining, but not just entertainment; the most essential thing is what tale to tell. Being controversial is inevitable, but capturing the attention of people is always the task for all filmmakers to consider. How long does a movie last? Try to strike a balance and consider which aspect of the decision is more important. "In my opinion, we should first make an interesting film." "I put many layers and elements in films for audiences to explore while also getting the story I want to tell," stated Kim Sung Hwan. 

"Last but not least, genre films are an excellent medium for conveying a message and expressing one's voice." If you have a story to tell, all filmmakers are encouraged to submit their work to BIFAN," stated Ellen Kim. 

第六届马来西亚国际电影节与BIFAN合作论坛

第六届马来西亚国际电影节(MIFFest)举办了本届的首场论坛。此次论坛是MIFFest与富川国际奇幻电影节（BIFAN）的合作项目之一，由BIFAN策展人Ellen Kim和《Iron Mask》导演Kim Sung Hwan担任讲师。论坛的主题是：“Models and Scenarios for the Global Success of Genre Cinema”。在论坛中，Ellen Kim和Kim Sung Hwan分享了他们对电影爱好者的宝贵想法和建议。

对于电影制片人，尤其是导演来说，Kim Sung Hwan表示：“在电影中表达许多事物是非常具有挑战性的，需要花费大量时间思考敏感话题，面对无答案的问题，甚至可能缺乏资金。这使得我们变得更加社交化，忙于工作。我记得以前常去电影院，享受电影和氛围，摆脱生活的负担。这对观众来说总是一个很好的解脱方式。一个好的导演会在电影中探讨有深度的问题，让观众在观影后改变想法。因此，对于电影人来说，两个小时是宝贵的。”

Kim Sung Hwan提到他在电影《Iron Mask》中专注于声音效果，试图拉近与观众的距离。因此，当《Iron Mask》在影院上映时，他坐在后排密切关注观众们的反应，无论是惊讶、紧张还是入睡。

论及类型电影行业中的语言挑战，Ellen Kim提供了专业建议：“人们常说喜剧最难。泰国和越南等国的浪漫喜剧和动作喜剧种类虽然丰富，但对外国观众来说选择仍相对有限，这使得他们难以深入了解其他国家的幽默和文化。类型电影能够让外国观众获得更丰富的体验。例如《鱿鱼游戏》，虽然不是电影，但其简单的规则和游戏性质使得外国观众容易接受，这是了解其他文化和生活方式的好方法。”

对于这个问题，Kim Sung Hwan提到了查理·卓别林的电影，虽然没有任何语言，但观众仍会发笑。在疫情期间，观众更倾向于在家观看Netflix等影片。对于如今的电影制片人来说，吸引观众重返影院是一项挑战。在影院中享受声音和视觉效果等震撼元素是无法与之媲美的。

除此之外，Kim Sung Hwan还讨论了韩国文化如何成为一种潮流。他好奇这股潮流何时开始。他猜测这一切可能始于PSY演唱的《江南Style》。他惊讶地看到所有的事情突然变成了潮流，包括《鱿鱼游戏》也变得流行起来。他认为当《鱿鱼游戏》成为全球趋势时，既是危机也是机遇。虽然面临压力，作为电影制片人，他们仍需找到前进的道路。

被问及人工智能已成为趋势且带来威胁时，Kim Sung Hwan说：“人工智能似乎可能让我们失业，但实际上我们可以利用它来帮助我们。如果你有故事要讲述，借助人工智能，抓住趋势会更容易。因为现在可以用人工智能来叙述我们的故事。”

在论坛结束后，观众从Ellen Kim和Kim Sung Hwan身上学到了许多东西，尤其对于马来西亚的电影制片人，他们给出了一些建议：“过于‘新颖’是个陷阱。我们总是追求新颖与与众不同，但对观众来说可能会很奇怪。你需要找到平衡点。我经常问自己真正关心什么？我想讲述什么故事？如果能深入探索自己，自然而然就能与众不同。对新体验要持开放态度。好好生活。” Kim Sung Hwan说道。

“你需要看很多电影。在韩国，许多电影制片人会多次观看同一部电影，一帧一帧地分析，直至彻底领悟。很多相同元素都成了陈词滥调。你需要非常有创意，改变规则等。创新很重要，但你更需要去驾驭它。” Ellen Kim说道。

另外，在与不同国家合拍电影时要集中注意的问题上，Ellen Kim则表示：“我之前曾与中国合拍电影。当时，我们只专注于一个国家的元素，使得一切事情变得简单。但如今，多国元素融合得非常好，我们应该创作一些原创作品，让一切自然而而然。新加坡与韩国合拍的电影《花路阿朱妈》就是一个很好的例子。故事情节可以围绕主人公对另一个国家和文化的喜好或探索展开。我看过一些有趣的想法，比如主人公梦想并试图在韩国成为流行偶像。老实说，这对于马来西亚人来说并不容易。电影制作人在试图简化内容以接近观众时，有时会适得其反，太过简化反而需要更多时间才能影响观众。尽管如此，你还是应该坚持讲述你想要传达的故事。我期待这些艺术作品碰撞出的火花。”

最后，Kim Sung Hwan提到电影应该具有娱乐性，但不仅仅是好玩，更重要的是要讲述一个有深度的故事。受到争议是很自然的，但吸引观众的注意力始终是所有电影制片人必须考虑的首要任务。一部电影的寿命有多长？要努力平衡并思考哪个决策的优先级更高。“在我看来，我们首先需要制作一部有趣的电影。我在电影中加入了许多层次和元素，让观众探索并同时理解我想要讲述的故事。” Kim Sung Hwan说。

"总结来说，类型电影是传递信息和声音的好方法。如果你有故事要讲述，欢迎所有电影制片人将你们的杰作提交给BIFAN。" Ellen Kim说道。

Keywords: #BIFAN #MIFFEST #EllenKim #KimSungHwan #马来西亚国际电影节 #富川国际奇幻电影节#MalaysiaInternationalFilmFestival #BucheonInternationalFantasticFilmFestival #FilmForum

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