In October, the Busan International Film Festival(BIFF) was held in Busan, Korea, and location managers who participated in theHollywood masterpiece projects like X-Men, Mission Impossible, and Inception gatheredfor a location FAM tour.

Busan is Korea's representative city for movies.BIFF, the largest international film festival in Asia, was held in 1996 for thefirst time, and has established Busan as a city of movies. In addition to the KoreanFilm Council, Busan Visual Industry Center, the largest cinema studio in Koreawill soon be moving from Seoul to Busan. Foundedin December 20, 1999, Busan Film Commission is the first Korean organizationthat specialize in supporting film and video productions. By providingadministrative assistance in acquiring shooting-related permit and database,Busan Film Commission became a role model to other film commissions in Koreaand different Asian regions.

< Black Panther>, which opened in more than 100 countries aroundthe world earlier this year that earned more than $13 billion in box officerevenue, shows every corner of Busan for 20 minutes, including a car chase on abridge across the ocean.

What was the reason of Busan chosen over othercandidates like Seoul and Singapore when it’s less famous and familiar globally?

Let’s hear the story from the Head of ProductionSupport team, Seungeui Lee, who supported the location of this film.

Q: Please introduce us your team’s rolein Busan Film Commission.
A: "It is a team that can help you shoot video footageconveniently in Busan. There are 8 team members ranging from veterans whoworked over 15 years to new recruits. However, discovering new locations inBusan is always done by all employees of the Busan Film Commission. Busan is known for supporting movie industry, sofilmmakers in Korea often expect things will happen in Busan when it might notbe possible in other part of the country. Every year more than 20 feature films are shot in Busan,and more than a 100 including documentaries, TV shows, and commercials. In addition, Busan Film Commission has taken theleading role in developing Asian film industry by organizing BusanInternational Film Commission & Industry Showcase (BIFCOM) since 2001, andAsian Film Policy Forum since 2008. Celebrating the 12th anniversary in 2016,Asian Film Commissions Network (AFCNet), headed by Busan Film Commission as thechair organization, has become Asia’s largestnon-profit international film-related organization with 59 members from 18countries (as of December, 2015).

Q: How did you get involved in the <Black Panther> location?
A: "It’s the first time aHollywood blockbusters have been filmed in Busan since the establishment of theBusan Film Commission. It was such an important project. Some Hollywoodlocation scouts participated a location FAM tour sponsored by the Korean FilmCommission in 2015. They came to Busan ​​and inquired about the hunting for aHollywood production with fake title "Mother Land" the followingsummer. That turned out to be < Black Panther>. They looked around candidate cities including Busanfor three days. They specifically wanted a car chasing on a hilltop overlookingthe sea. Busan has a unique topography with high proportion of mountainousterrain, therefore, there are many roads that lead to the middle of themountainside. Based on a reference video they provided, I suggested a placesimilar to the roads in San Francisco by comparing the morning and night time.I was confident that Busan was a strong candidate as a Hollywood representativereported this hunting data to the team in U.S. and stayed longer than planned."

Q: What do you think is the decisivereason why < Black Panther> chose Busan?
A: "I think it is a full administrative support.Busan not only has futuristic skyscrapers and old towns, but also has rivers,mountains and more importantly, is surrounded by ocean. It is similar to HongKong, where the movie industry is also active, but Busan has relatively lowdensity in population and more active in shooting. < Black Panther> got financial benefit throughthe location incentive from Korean Film Council, but Busan mayor took a bigstep asking police department, regional offices, and film production companiesto co-operate. In result, we could film the car chasing scent by blocking thewhile bridge that usually have heavy traffic.

Q: What did Ryan Coogler particularlyinterested in Busan?
A: "When he came to checkhunting, he took pictures of the lights in the Jagalchi market and themerchants who were friendly to the guests. Streets full of large and smallsignboards gathered were also interesting to him. In March 2017, he startedfilming at the Jagalchi market with a chase scene, and filmed at Gwangan beach,Sajik northern road, and Yeongdo island. Gwangan road took full control overtwo days, using relatively less crowded Sunday morning and early dawn hours."

Q: Do you think Busan got thepromotional effect from < Black Panther>.
A: "I used to meet production managers who onlyknows Seoul in Korea when I was overseas, but now some Hollywood productionmanagers wondered about after knowing Busan as the city of <BlackPanther>. Another Hollywood movie "Pacific Rim:Uprising" came to South Korea to shoot CG source while shooting locations inChina. This was due to the Black Panther team was in Busan at the time. Inorder to promote Busan to Hollywood, we have selected location scouts inHollywood and invited them over for a location FAM tour twice a year. You can find this informationand other location support services on our website (www.bfc.or.kr)."

Q: Busan is getting more popular in Asia.
A: "In addition to the popularity of K-pop and KoreanTV drama, the Korean zombie movie "Train to Busan" has become popularin Asia. Therefore, the name" Busan "has become more widely known. Inthe Philippines and Vietnam, not only Korean films but also co-productions arevery demanding. Shooting of the Chinese works, which had been suspended in theaftermath of the political tense, was recently resumed. Last September, aChinese spy action drama was filmed at the Busan Cinema Center."

Q: Would like to recommend a location inBusan.
A: "On the Sanbok Road, the night view overlooking BusanHarbor Bridge, Yeongdo island, Gwangan Bridge and Marine City is verybeautiful. The Gwangan Bridge has different colors depending on the viewingangle. If the marine city with a lotof skyscrapers is a futuristic city, the western part is a past-orientedfeeling. When you pass from Namcheon-dong to Yeongdo island, there is ashipyard, forklift, and huge structures lined up, perfect for a gangster genre.Photographing natural scenery such as Ahopsan forest, Nakdong river basin, and Eulsukdoisland are also good. Samnak Ecological Park is full of rapeseed blossoms inspring, and pink flowers in autumn."

Busan’s Unique Locations in Korean feature films

The bamboo forest of <KUNDO: Age of the Rampant> (2014) was filmed in Ahopsan forest.

< Along with the Gods> series, which collected 1million views last year and this year, was filmed at the Busan NationalMaritime High School. The high-rise building that actor Cha Tae-hyun playedas a fire fighter at the beginning of the first film is the building of KNNbroadcasting station in Centum area, Busan. It was filmed for three days underthe cooperation of fire officials.

< GONJIAM: Haunted Asylum> (2017), was filmed in a building of former Busan NationalMaritime High School. A film set was made inside the old building to picture Konjiam psychiatric hospital, which appears as apsychic experience place.