Fribourg International Film Festival (FIFF) supports Busan International Film Festival and more specifically director Lee Yong-kwan and his whole team.
Festival director Lee Yong-Kwan has come under unrelenting pressure to step down as BIFF director from Busan City Council officials angered by his decision to screen controversial ferry-sinking documentary THE TRUTH SHALL NOT SINK WITH SEWOL in 2015, against their wishes. He has thus far refused to leave, but is currently gearing up to fight charges filed against him by the city, accusing him of mismanagement of festival sponsorship fees, on the basis of an audit of BIFF’s books carried out last year following the documentary dispute. Municipality first demanded programmer to be sacked, then the film to be pulled, before increasing pressure by cutting funds by 50 %, changing festival regulations and charging M. Lee. They clearly told all charges would be dropped if M. Lee would step back, which can be seen as blackmail.
For liberty of expression of BIFF and all other worldwide film festivals – especially in current politically troubled times – Fribourg International Film Festival, and the whole audience of its closing ceremony, state clearly the position to support Busan and whole BIFF-team – and would only point the absurdity of whole situation and threatening one of world’s biggest, greatest and most respected film festivals.
