Brisbane International Film Festival Changes to Asia-Pacific Focus
Goodbye BIFF, hello BAPFF.
It’s goodbye BIFF, hello BAPFF for the cinephiles of Brisbane — Lord Mayor Graham Quirk has told a press conference "BIFF is dead". His statement accompanied the announcement of the new Brisbane Asia Pacific Film Festival, which will screen around 60 films from the region from Saturday 29 November to Sunday 14 December 2014.
BAPFF will revolve around the Asia Pacific Film Awards, which will become the festival's cornerstone event. Brisbane Marketing, the city’s economic development board, will run both events — with the festival focusing on strengthening APSA’s public profile and showcasing films eligible for the awards.
APSA executive chairman Michael Hawkins said it is expected the inaugural BAPFF will be based in Brisbane’s cultural precinct, potentially screening at the Gallery of Modern Art, the State Library of Queensland, the South Bank Piazza and along the banks of the Brisbane River. Holding events and screenings at Brisbane’s City Hall was also highlighted as a priority.
Audiences can expect a retrospective of the works of Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi, director of the Academy Award-winning A Separation and recently announced as the head of the 2014 APSA jury. Also mooted are a program of screenings delving into Indonesian cinema, a digital restoration of Korean hit The Housemaid and a celebration of the 60th anniversary of the original Japanese Godzilla.
The distinctive change for the city’s only major film festival comes after persistent rumours of BIFF’s demise — which were denied by Screen Queensland, its previous organiser, before the festival was handed over to Brisbane Marketing.
