PUSAN, KOREA - The Busan International Film Commission & Industry Showcase opened at the Paradise Hotel Monday. Cutting the ceremonial ribbon are 24 heads of film commissions of the participating countries, including Rolando S. Atienza, chairman of the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP). This followed the official opening of the 14th Pusan International Film Festival last Oct. 8.

The others given the white gloves and scissors to open BIFCOM 2009 were Cho Hee Moon, Park Kwang Soo, Bae Young Gil, Grane Solloway, Lee Yong Kwan, Ken Terawaki, Xu Ping An, Tetsuji Maezona, Susan Ord, Rah So Won, Oh Jung Wan, Lee Seung Moo, Han Zhijung, Bill Lindstorm, Wanasiri Murakul, Kim Sa Gyum, Kim Eui Suk, Kun Sung Su and Lee Yong Gi.

In his message, Hur Nam-Sik, Mayor of the Busan/Pusan Metropolitan City, and chairman of the Busan Film Commission, thanked the local and foreign filmmakers for coming to the BIFCOM 2009 hosted by the Busan Film Commission (BFC), the core of the film industry in the film city of Busan/Pusan.

He said that the BFC which is celebrating its 10th anniversary, "laid the cornerstone of the film city in fact as well as in name together with the Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF) by establishing Korea's first one-stop post-production base earlier this year."

Starting as Asia's first location expo in 2001, the BIFCOM, a multi-market handling all about filmmaking from photographic equipment and advanced techology methods from location to human infrastructure,k has emerged as an exchange ground for films in Asia, he also said. With pride, he noted that "the BIFCOM wich has received great praise from professionals by playing a leading role in introducing state-of-the-art filmmaking technology every year, has 57 teams from 16 countries will present and forecast the new technologies that will intersperse pictures and screens with ninnovation and creativity at the event."