No fallout at Korean film fest

Fireworks, symphonic music and a cast of stellar actors kicked off the Korean Peninsula’s leading film festival Thursday in a southern beach resort town, despite growing tensions over North Korea’s recent announcement of a nuclear test.

The mood at the 11th Pusan International Film Festival, also one of Asia’s most prestigious, appeared unaffected by the diplomatic turmoil over the claimed test of a nuclear bomb. The film festival retains the old spelling of the South Korean city now known as Busan.

South Korean movie star Lee Byung-heon and Hong Kong’s Andy Lau, who is being honored as Asian filmmaker of the year, were among the celebrities strutting their stuff on the red carpet as fans screamed and snapped photos.

This year’s program includes two timely films about North Korea. The British documentary “Crossing the Line” tells the story of the last American defector to North Korea. The German documentary “Comrades in Dreams” follows the life of a North Korean movie projectionist, comparing it to the lives of counterparts in southern India and Midwestern America.

In all, the festival will show 245 films from 63 countries this year, including 64 world premieres.