Korean film “A Wild Roomer” and India’s “Shivamma” have been announced as the joint winners of the New Currents competition, the prestige discovery section of the Busan International Film Festival.

“We were particularly sensitive to the lightness and subtlety of the director’s view of his characters. Through his innovative cinematography, he creates original circulations between the characters within a house, and builds a very contemporary universe,” the competition jury said of the Lee Jeon-hong-directed “A Wild Roomer.”

“We appreciated the originality and intensity with which the director was able to tell this very contemporary story. Here documentary and fiction meet in an organic and spirited way of making cinema. The generosity of the actors and the scenes create a closeness with this universal story that takes place in an Indian village,” the jury said of the Jaishankar Aryar-directed “Shivamma.”

“A Wild Roomer” also picked up the NETPAC Award selected by a group of film critics, the KBS Independent Film Award, and the Critic b award.

Juries for the new Jiseok competition – selecting from films by slightly more established filmmakers – also gave two prizes.

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“A Scent of Wind,” by Iran’s Hagi Mohaghegh, which played as the festival’s opening title, picked up the Jiseok competition prize, sharing it with Yalkin Tuychiev’s “Alteration.”

Prizes were announced on Friday morning at a press conference in Busan.

In a final work report, released at the same time, festival organizers cheered a return to normal in-person activities after the two previous editions were heavily disrupted by COVID-related impediments. The number of foreign visitors to the festival increased from 69 in 2021 to 1,694 this time, as well as 4,700 registered Korean participants. Spectator numbers ran to some 161,000, representing 74% of full capacity.

In the accompanying industry section, operated under the banner Asian Contents & Film Market there were 2,465 registered badge holders, representing 1,102 companies form 55 countries and territories. This was a 12% increase on 2019, when the ACFM was last held as a fully in-person event. Among sellers, there were 72 sales booths, representing 272 companies from 22 countries.

– More to follow.