‘Day and Night Belong to Each Other’ Opens 31st Busan International Film Festival: “Scale Irrelevant, Value Sufficient” [Comprehensive]

*This content was translated by AI.

‘Day and Night Belong to Each Other,’ which opens the doors to the 31st Busan International Film Festival, was completed based on Director Kim Jong-kwan’s uniquely delicate perspective and the deep trust among the actors.

The press conference for ‘Day and Night Belong to Each Other,’ the opening film of the 31st Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), was held at the Medium Theater of the Cinema Hall in Haeundae-gu, Busan, on the 6th. Director Kim Jong-kwan, actors Kim Min-ha, Joo Jong-hyuk, Han Sun-hwa, Jang Yul, Shim Eun-kyung, Jeon So-young, and Kim Dong-hwi, along with programmer Jung Ji-hye, attended the event.

‘Day and Night Belong to Each Other’ is a cheerful and charming film that captures the conversation between day and night during their stay at a cafe as one season passes. It is the new work of Director Kim Jong-kwan, who directed ‘The Worst Day’ (2016), ‘The Table’ (2016), and ‘Josee’ (2020).

On this day, programmer Jung Ji-hye introduced the reason for selecting the opening film, stating, “‘Day and Night Belong to Each Other’ is a work in which Director Kim Jong-kwan’s creative world, which he has pursued fiercely and stubbornly for a long time, has reached maturity.”

She continued, “Although it is a drama consisting of conversations in a limited space, it has the power to make viewers listen attentively,” adding, “It seems the director put in quite a lot of effort, and the excellent acting by outstanding actors made that possible. It is a work imbued with Director Kim Jong-kwan’s innate directing skills and long-accumulated depth.”

She also added an explanation regarding the fact that recent opening films of the Busan International Film Festival, such as ‘All About Us’ and ‘No Other Choice,’ had relatively large production scales. Programmer Jung said, “The Busan International Film Festival carefully selects outstanding and excellent works as opening films every year. It is true that large-scale productions were selected in terms of production scale over the past two years, but regardless of scale, I believe the meaning and value possessed by this work are by no means small.”

She continued, “‘Day and Night Belong to Each Other’ is an outstanding work where a creator has carefully designed and crafted their own world after much deliberation,” explaining, “We aim to select as opening films works that a very large number of audiences can watch comfortably and enjoyably for nearly two hours.”

She then emphasized, “The production scale may be large or small depending on the case. I believe this year’s opening film fully meets those criteria,” adding, “It is a work where the harmony between the director and actors, as well as the depth of their acting, is conveyed as it is.”

Programmer Jung added, “There was no hesitation in selecting it as the opening film, also considering that it is a work that can be enjoyed by a wide age range,” stating, “I am very proud to introduce this work as the opening film.”

Director Kim Jong-kwan expressed his feelings about meeting Busan audiences as the opening film. He began by saying, “Even though I thought I had been tempered through long-term work, moments like this still make me nervous.”

He continued, “As you will see when you watch our film, it is a story about small and trivial things. I believe it is a film that focuses on the meaning and beauty within those things.”

Director Kim explained the perspective the film aims for, citing the scene in the work where Hyun-ho looks at a watch. He said, “Just as Hyun-ho focuses on that small world while looking at the watch and discovers beauty, our film is also a work that magnifies and observes small cross-sections.”

He revealed, “While general films build up events within narratives spanning days, months, or years, our film magnifies and shows the single cross-section of a conversation, allowing audiences to imagine where those people came from and where they will flow next.”

He added, “I hoped it would be a film that allows one to envision life beyond that moment. Although it is a description of a very fleeting instant, I believed it could tell stories about various parts of life within that,” concluding, “I wanted it to be a work with the power of such storytelling.”

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*This content was translated by AI.