Meeting Up at Busan International Film Festival
The XiXi/UAC event at Busan International Film Festival
Earlier this month, Professor Gretchen Jude met with over 40 students from the Utah Asia Campus (UAC). Unique to this event was where they all met— not in Salt Lake City, on the main campus, and not in Incheon, South Korea (the home of UAC)— but in Busan, at the Busan International Film Festival.
Jude was at the Busan International Film Festival for her work on XiXi, a documentary by Fan Wu, for which Jude was the composer. “The film team, including Fan and producers Venice De Castro Atienza, Sona Jo and Yoonsoo Her, gave an in-depth presentation for Yee Sien Ang’s 40+ students from the U’s Asia Campus, who were there for Professor Ang’s film festival course,” said Jude, describing the event. “Even though it was early Sunday morning, the Q&A allowed for lively discussion about how to fund and create a successful independent film with an international team.”
Still from XiXi
The Busan International Film Festival is one of the most prestigious film festivals in Asia, and continues to become more and more influential worldwide. XiXi showed during the festival’s opening weekend as part of the Wide Angle Documentary Showcase.
Professor Jude’s attendance at Busan is newsworthy in and of itself, but the fact that students at the festival were able to hear from Jude and the rest of the XiXi team highlights an incredible opportunity for students studying at UAC: students can register for film festival courses and participate in these amazing international events.
“Students majoring in Film & Media Arts may enroll in the Jeonju International Film Festival course in spring, where students travel down to the picturesque city to experience the best in independent cinema from Korea and around the world - as well as culinary delicacies from the region,” ,” said Professor Simon McEnteggart, Associate Professor (Lecturer) on the U-Asia Campus. “In autumn, students may attend the Busan Int. Film Festival, the biggest film festival in Asia, located in the beautiful southern coastal region. BIFF curates the best films from Cannes, Berlin, Venice and representative films from throughout Asia, and hosts a variety of special talks and events with internationally renowned filmmakers.”
Jude and the XiXi team with UAC representatives
McEnteggart stated that the event with Professor Jude “was a very meaningful experience for everyone involved.”
Students studying on the Salt Lake City campus can study abroad at UAC, where they will take courses from University of Utah professors on an English-Speaking campus. Interested students should speak with their academic advisor.