Busan traffic jams made stars attending the 30th Busan International Film Festival break into a sweat. But incidents that could have ended as mere mishaps drew ire because there was no apology.
On the 19th, various events took place around the Busan Cinema Center on the third day of the 30th Busan International Film Festival. This year's festival, inspired by the 30th anniversary "thirty celebration," boasted a dazzling lineup.
But perhaps enthusiasm for the "30th BIFF" peaked ahead of the weekend. Frequent tardiness by stars left a sense of regret. The subjects included actor-director Ha Jung-woo, who came to Busan with his fourth directorial film The Upstairs Neighbors; Gong Hyo-jin, who stars in Yeong-ha; actress Yoon Yeo-jeong, who chose her first public appearance after her son's same-sex wedding with Marriage Reception; and actor Lee Byung-hun, who not only hosted the opening ceremony solo but also closed the Actors House event.
The Upstairs Neighbors is a film that depicts unpredictable events that unfold when the upstairs couple (Ha Jung-woo & Lee Ha-nui) and the downstairs couple (Gong Hyo-jin & Kim Dong-wook) end up sharing a one-night meal because of nightly different-floor noise. Actor Ha Jung-woo directed for the fourth time after Rollercoaster, Heo Sam-gwan, and Lobby, and the film is set for official release this December.
At the "30th BIFF," The Upstairs Neighbors was called to the open talk segment. Ha Jung-woo, Gong Hyo-jin, and Kim Dong-wook attended to promote the film. However, they did not appear on stage even after the event began. They showed up about 15 minutes after the scheduled start time.
Later that afternoon, a stage greeting for Yoon Yeo-jeong's new film Marriage Reception was scheduled. But there was another late arrival. Director Andrew Ahn and Yoon Yeo-jeong were nearly 15 minutes late. Rising star Han Ki-chan, who had arrived early, filled the gap by answering the moderator's questions alone until the veteran actor and director arrived.
Meanwhile that evening at Dongnam University Sohyang Theater Shinhan Card Hall in Busan, the Actors House at the "30th BIFF" featured Lee Byung-hun. He too arrived about five minutes late to the talk because of traffic congestion near the venue. In fact, Busan is known for heavy traffic near the Cinema Center during BIFF, due to high population density and winding alleyways.
The problem was that after a series of tardy mishaps, no one offered a proper apology. Fans had guarded their seats, even obtaining canceled tickets before the actors arrived, yet there was no expression of understanding or regret. Hosts only gave a brief announcement attributing delays to traffic congestion. Repeated unacknowledged tardiness by stars turned situations that could have been simple mishaps into sources of public resentment.
[Photos] OSEN reporters Lee Seok-woo, Min Kyung-hoon.
[OSEN]