Ambassador De Vega with (left) BIFF Asian Contents and Film Market Director Oh Seok Geun and (right) BIFF Chairperson Lee Yong-Kwan 

18 April 2022, Seoul – Philippine Ambassador Theresa Dizon-De Vega met with Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) Chairperson Lee Yong-kwan on 15 April 2022 at the BIFF Headquarters in Busan, South Korea.

Ambassador De Vega conveyed the message of appreciation of Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) Chair Liza Dino-Seguerra for the close cooperation extended by the BIFF as an important platform for multilateral cooperation with ASEAN film commissions. Chair Dino-Seguerra likewise added that the FDCP looks forward to more Philippine and Asian film content at future editions of BIFF.

In response, Chairperson Lee remarked that Philippine films continue to be a welcome presence at the BIFF and that Filipino filmmakers such as the late National Artist Lino Brocka continue to inspire Korean filmmakers. He added that “BIFF hopes to see more Filipino film submissions in the future.”

Former Korean Film Council (KOFIC) Chair and now BIFF Asian Contents and Film Market Director Oh Seok Geun relayed that they would also like to see active Philippine participation in other BIFF film development programs particularly on content and story development.

Ambassador Dizon-De Vega thanked the BIFF officials for their continued interest in and support for film development in the Philippines and also cited the assistance provided by the BIFF’s Asian Cinema Fund (ACF) to Filipino filmmakers such as Director Carlo Francisco Manatad, a 2014 script development grantee, whose film “Whether the Weather is Fine” screened successfully at the Locarno and Toronto International Film Festivals in 2021.

Championing the development of international cooperation and partnerships for the Philippine film industry as well as helping to develop larger audiences for Filipino films is part of the Philippine Embassy in Seoul’s cultural and economic diplomacy thrusts. Ambassador Dizon-De Vega has served on the FDCP’s Film Incentives Committee. END