The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
The first time I was in South Korea was in 2011 when the tremendous impact of K-pop was felt not only in Korea itself but all throughout the world.
I was a film student of the Fantastic Film School (FFS) of the Network of Asian Fantastic Films (NAFF) of—by that time it was still called Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival or PiFan—Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BiFan) as Puchon is another geographical name of Bucheon in Bucheon City.
It was a memorable stint for me as I was exposed to technologically and creatively advanced filmmaking in the world.
The FFS was only established in 2008 to give way to talented and deserving Asian filmmakers rightly assembled to study theories and practice in the workshop billed Asian Filmmakers Lab.
It was an opportunity for us to be enrolled in a high caliber school no matter in a short period of time.
PiFan was a game changer in the genre filmmaking in the world and the very first big and highly regarded event in Asia that has evolved to be the leader BiFan.
After sixteen years, many things have advanced in BiFan.
The fest has launched a new component, the so-called B.I.G. (Bucheon Industry Gathering) where international filmmakers, artists, investors, producers, marketers, press and other stakeholders cohere and symbiotically assist one another in creating an atmosphere of congenial film market.
This year I am going to BiFan again to witness the camaraderie and business relationship among international moviemakers.
Every year, K-pop idols are invited to grace the opening of BiFan and it’s always star-studded.
So, whenever I would break the news that I was invited to the 2023 BiFan, the first thing that entered the mind of my listener was the presence of popular Korean stars.
Lee Min Ho or Sandara Park or Hyun Bin would perk up the starstruck eyes of Filipino fans.
Filipinos, ordinary folks and stars alike are also avid fans of hallyu or the Korean wave.
They are gaga over K-pop culture.
According to Twitter’s K-pop data, the Philippines ranks third in the most number of Filipino K-pop fans.
When veteran actress Divina Valencia learned that I would go to Korea, she requested if not insisted that I look for her idol, Ji Chang-wook, a famous Korean actor, endorser, and model.
Divina’s fan mentality was stirred when she started watching “Suspicious Partner” which starred Ji.
“Dati, ayaw ko ng Korean showbiz. Kahit anong pilit sa akin. Nababaklaan ako sa mga lalaking artista (Before, I didn’t like Korean showbiz no matter how they would push me. I found their Korean actors somewhat gay in appearance].
“Ang kaibigan kong si Marissa Delgado, pilit nang pilit sa akin. Panoorin ko raw ‘yong mga Korean drama. Tapos, pinadalhan pa niya ako ng mga link at CD (My friend Marissa Delgado would egg on me to watch Korean drama. She even sent me links and CDs),” recalled Valencia while chuckling.
“Pero nang mapanood ko si Ji, Diyos ko, simula na ng pagka-addict ko sa kanya (But when I started watching Ji, my God, that was the start if my addiction to him),” she laughed.
Last November, Divina and other Filipino stars that included Carmi Martin flocked to the Mall of Asia Arena (MOA) to watch Chang-wook perform.
“Diyos ko, para kaming mga bagets (Oh, my God! We were like teen-agers),” quipped Divine. BOY VILLASANTA