‘Squid Game’ to Receive Film Award as Korea’s BiFan Festival Redefines Genre Boundaries
Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefAfter soldiering through COVID with hybrid editions, South Korea’s Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BiFan) is getting ready to hold a scaled-up, largely in-person festival beginning Thursday, complete with a red-carpet opening ceremony and foreign visitors. But BiFan organizers say that the ground has moved under their feet.Variety spoke to producer Shin Chul, who once said he was tricked into becoming festival director, and BiFan head programmer Ellen Kim on the eve of the event.Festivals have had a tough time under COVID, but Korean entertainment has found new audiences. How do you explain that?Shin: For past two years the Korean entertainment industry experienced the deployment of a highway connected to the world.