Fan Bingbing Praises Korean Cinema at BIFAN as Yuen Woo-ping and Isabelle Huppert Visit Bucheon

As the 30th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN) opened on July 2, Chinese actress Fan Bingbing received the Global Icon Award at the opening ceremony and expressed praise for the Korean film industry. Director Yuen Woo-ping of the opening film 'Pyo-in: Pung-gi-dae-mak' and French actress Isabelle Huppert also joined the red carpet this year.

Fan Bingbing: "Korean directors and actors are world-class"

Fan Bingbing shared her acceptance speech, saying, "This is the year BIFAN turns 30, and coincidentally, it is also the 30th year of my acting career, so it is a beautiful connection."

Regarding the Korean film industry, she said, "I feel envious every time I come to Korea. The Korean film industry has developed significantly, and the directors and actors are world-class." Having met domestic audiences through Korean works such as 'My Way,' where she starred alongside Jang Dong-gun, and 'Green Night,' with Lee Joo-young, she added, "Everyone must have something they love in life, and for me, it is acting."

Fan Bingbing presented her new film 'Mother Bhumi' at this festival. In this work, set in Bujang Valley in northern Malaysia during the late 1990s, she plays 'Hong-im,' a farmer and shaman who loses her husband and supports her family. Hong-im is a character who fights against land confiscation during the day and performs exorcism rituals at night; Fan Bingbing won the Golden Horse Award for Best Actress for this work.

81-year-old Yuen Woo-ping: "My style is to film directly"

Director Yuen Woo-ping, who directed 'Drunken Master' and served as the martial arts director for 'The Matrix' and 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,' visited Bucheon with this year's opening film 'Pyo-in: Pung-gi-dae-mak.' Regarding Bucheon, he said, "I got the impression that it is a good place with a human touch."

Director Yuen, who is still active at 81, defined the essence of action films, saying, "A good action movie is one that you never get tired of, even after watching it for a long time." Regarding recently developed CG and AI technology, he stated, "No matter how much technology advances, there is a difference from real actors performing. My style is to film directly."

He also mentioned an anecdote about a failed attempt to work with actor Lee Byung-hun about 30 years ago. Director Yuen said, "There is no age limit in movies. I will make movies as long as I can." Having worked with Chinese-speaking action stars such as Jet Li, Jackie Chan, and Donnie Yen, he reunited with lead actor Jet Li in this opening film 'Pyo-in: Pung-gi-dae-mak.'

Isabelle Huppert to Read Han Kang's Work

Isabelle Huppert also spoke of her connection to Korea. Having appeared in three of director Hong Sang-soo's films, she is scheduled to read the novel 'We Do Not Part' by author Han Kang alongside actress Lee Hye-young at the Festival d'Avignon in France this month.

Regarding Han Kang's work, Huppert commented, "It is beautiful yet intense, possessing concreteness and realism within a dreamlike power." Transforming into a vampire countess in her new film 'Blood Countess,' she expressed her intention to collaborate with Asian countries, saying, "I always want original experiences that defy expectations. I want to continue my unique adventures."

Huppert has won Best Actress awards at the Cannes Film Festival and the Venice Film Festival.