WITH the attendance of more than 20 Chinese-language films and dozens of notable Chinese directors, actors and actresses, the upcoming 19th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) will embrace “China’s moment.”

    The festival has set Taiwanese director Doze Niu’s “Paradise in Service” as this year’s opening film.

    The film reflects those from his father’s generation who served in the Taiwanese military in the 60s and 70s, according to organizers.

    The closing film is also a Chinese movie, “Gangster Payday,” directed by Hong Kong director Lee Po-cheung. A new hybrid genre that combines comedy and melodrama, the films tells the story of a gangster without the traditional tragic beauty of an action film.

    Two Chinese films were invited to the New Currents category, the event’s main competition, which presents a showcase of young talent expected to play leading roles in the Asian film industry. Chinese films were absent from the category last year.

    “Nezha” is Chinese director Li Xiaofeng’s debut film and tells the story about two girls who experience conflicts with their parents.

    “(Sex) Appeal,” from Taiwanese director Wang Wei-ming, digs into the complex and subtle psychology of people who are involved in solving a rape case at a university.

    The organizing committee for BIFF said most debut films in this category are from young directors, and the majority of these films deal with the troubles and wanderings of youth.

    The Gala Presentation, which presents the most recent works of master directors, has invited Chinese directors Zhang Yimou and Ann Hui to bring their new masterpieces.

    Zhang Yimou’s latest film, “Coming Home,” reunited him with Gong Li after a long interval. This time, he abandoned commercial appeal to return to one of his favorite themes: a love story of a couple with twists and turns. He was also invited to screen the film at the Cannes International Film Festival this year, and it earned high acclaim. Ann Hui’s “The Golden Era” is a piece that winds up her directing career’s apex. It tells the story of prominent female Chinese writer Xiao Hong’s life during the chaos of 1930s China.

    The screening of Ann Hui’s new film is even more anticipated since she won the 2014 Asian Filmmaker of the Year Award at the Busan International Film Festival this year.

    Tang Wei, the Chinese actress who plays Xiao Hong in the film, will also attend the festival.

    Among those invited to attend this year’s BIFF are also Chinese actresses Liu Shishi, Chen Yihan, Charlene Choi, Wan Qian and actors Chen Daoming, Chen Jianbin, Anthony Wong, Chen Chang, Ethan Juan and others, a rare all-star cast that sets a record in BIFF’s history.

    In addition, Hong Kong director Peter Chan will attend A Window on Asian Cinema with his latest film, “Dearest.” “Red Amnesia” by director Wang Xiaoshuai, “The Continent” by Chinese writer/director Han Han, “The Scared Arrow” by Tibetan director Pema Tseden and a dozen other Chinese films will also be screened in this category.

    Chinese action movie “Brotherhood of Blades” by director Lu Yang and “Five Minutes to Tomorrow,” a movie co-produced by China and Japan, will be played in the Open Cinema category.

    The 19th Busan International Festival will run from Oct. 2 to 11. During the festival, 313 films from 79 countries will be shown, with 96 world premieres and 36 international premieres, a slight increase compared to last year.

    Unlike the three traditional international film festivals in Venice, Cannes and Berlin, the Busan festival focuses more on discovering new talent rather than on established filmmakers and on discovering Asia’s cinema potential.(Xinhua)