THE annual Busan International Film Festival drew to a close Saturday with a record number of visitors and many new Asian movies for the world to enjoy.

    Despite a budget cut and typhoon-triggered strong winds, the event drew a record number of 227,000 visitors over 10 days. Movie fans watched Indian box office hit “Bajrangi Bhaijaan,” Chinese box-office hit “Monster Hunt” and Japanese animation favorite “My Neighbor Totoro,” among others, at the 5,000-seat Busan Cinema Center’s amphitheater.

    Legendary filmmakers such as Hou Hsiao-hsien and Leos Carax, American actor Harvey Keitel, French actress Sophie Marceau and Korean heartthrob Yoo A-in were among the top stars who met audiences at a movie screening or at an open air talk on the beach.

    The Asian film festival’s closing film was Chinese director Larry Yang’s “Mountain Cry,” a romance drama set in a remote mountainous village.

    The festival showed 302 movies from 75 countries, including 125 world or international premieres after two movie screenings got canceled.

    One of the most feted works by a budding Asian filmmaker this year was “Immortal” by Iranian director Hadi Mohaghegh.

    It was honored with two of the biggest awards at the festival.

    The 37-year-old director won the New Currents award with a US$30,000 prize, given to two first- or second-time feature movie directors in Asia in the festival’s only competition. Jurors, led by veteran Taiwanese actress and director Sylvia Chang, described it as “an extraordinary feat of visual storytelling about how to keep our dignity as human beings.”

    It was also the winner of the FIPRESCI award, selected by the International Federation of Film Critics for “its highly realistic and humane approach in depicting a family tragedy that echoes a universal theme through masterful use of film language.”

    The movie, shot against barren scenery in southwestern Iran, tells the story of an old man ridden with guilt and grief from losing his family in an accident.

    Another winner of the New Currents section was a film from Kazakhstan, “Walnut Tree” by Yerlan Nurmukhambetov.

    Other movies honored with awards in Busan included “Boys Run” by South Korean director Kang Seokpil, “Look Love” by Chinese director Ye Yun about struggles of two kids for love and recognition, “Communication & Lies” by South Korean director Lee Seung-won, “Radio Set” by Indian director Hari Viswanath and “Eyelids” by South Korean director O Muel.

    (SD-Agencies)