Busan is well known as "The City of Film." Busan is the birthplace of Korean cinema as the first film production company in Korea was established in 1924. The city also attracts filmmakers and audiences from around the world by annually hosting the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), which is the largest film festival in Korea.

Busan actively supports film production and screening to nurture the film industry. For instance, public institutions concerned with the film industry, such as the Korean Film Council (KOFIC) and the Korea Media Rating Board, operate here. Recognized for these efforts, Busan is designated as the first "UNESCO Creative City of Film" in Asia, consolidating its position as the international film hub. Busan offers a variety of film cultural experience spaces that fit the fame of the city. “Channel PNU” visited the Busan Cinema Center Film Library, Busan Museum of Movies, and Huinnyeoul Culture Village Film Archive on August 5 and 6.

■The Exclusive Films Only Available Here, the Busan Cinema Center Library 

The Busan Cinema Center, the main venue for the BIFF, offers the opportunity to watch movies for free. Located on the 4th floor of the Double Cone next to the BIFF Theatre, the library provides visitors free access to various videos and film-related documents from their collection. As of January 2023, 46,031 items, including Korean classic films and independent films supplied by the Korean Film Archive (KOFA) and BIFF entries, are available to the public in the library.

This facility has multimedia rooms (VOD services), reading rooms, a LP music lounge, and QR code streaming rooms of BIFF where guests can enjoy videos, documents, and film music. Users can watch videos from the film collection by KOFA in the multimedia room. To watch a desired film, visitors should inquire at the information desk and present an identification card. Anyone who wants to watch the BIFF entries can utilize the QR code streaming room of BIFF. To watch them, they can either select film cards with QR code displayed on the wall or search for the films.

The opening hours are from 10am to 7pm except for the last Wednesday of every month (Culture Day) in which it opens until 9pm. It is closed every Monday. To visit here, get off at Busan Line 2 Centum City Station and walk for 10 minutes from exit 6.

■Experience All About Filmmaking and Screening, the Busan Museum of Movies

The Busan Museum of Movies is located in Jung-gu, a 15-minute walk from BIFF Plaza, where BIFF first took place. As Korea’s first museum specializing in filming experience, it offers a permanent exhibition and special exhibitions.

In the permanent exhibition room, visitors can learn the history of movies and engage in the filmmaking process, following the story of saving the city of movies. With various dioramas, panels, and videos, people can encounter how the movies and theaters of the past looked like. If a movie fan hears the silent-film narrator and walks along the street that the movie posters are pasted over, they will feel like they are at the theater of the old times. By placing the card on the reader, visitors can participate in diverse experiences: poster shooting, storyboard creating, chroma key editing, hand printing, and dubbing.

The special exhibition “The Actor is Present: Busan” is held on the 2nd floor of the museum from May 4 to November 26. Visitors can see the black and white photos of the 200 Korean actors for free. This exhibition is organized as a part of the promotion campaign of Korean actors abroad by the KOFIC. It had been previously held in New York City and Seoul.

The Busan Museum of Movies operates from 10am to 6pm and is closed on Mondays. The admission fee is 10,000 won for adults. Busan citizens receive a 30% discount, and foreigners can enter for free using the Busan Visit Pass. To visit here, get off at Busan Line 1 Jungang Station and walk for five minutes.

■Just Beside the Filming Location, Huinnyeoul Culture Village Film Archive

In Huinnyeoul Culture Village, there is the Huinnyeoul Culture Village Film Archive that tourists can enter for a short break. It is situated in the Huinnyeoul Culture Village Information Center with a lookout point and a cafe. It would be meaningful to see the film archive with nearby filming locations. Huinnyeoul Culture Village is famous for being the location of movies such as “The Attorney” and “Nameless Gangster.” The village also had been the setting of several movies like “Crazy First Love,” “Dark Figure of Crime,” and “Countdown.”

Starting from the entrance of the archive, the exhibition panels show iconic quotes from the movies shot in the village. Inside, there are some introductions of the appearances of the village in the movie “The Attorney” and “Nameless Gangster.” Even for those who have not seen the movies, these provide an immediate understanding of Huinnyeoul Culture Village as a filming location. There is also a photo zone. Tourists can dress up in old school uniforms and suits that appeared in films. The backdrop of the spot is a part of Huinnyeoul Culture Village that appeared in the “Nameless Gangsters.”

The archive operates from 10am to 6pm. To visit here, get off at Busan Line 1 Nampo Station and transfer to bus 6, 82, or 508 and get off at the Huinnyeoul Culture Village.

Reporter Lee Soo-Hyun

Translated by Lee Soo-Hyun