Asian actors reach out at Pusan

APAN helps actors meet with filmmakers

By DARCY PAQUET

SEOUL -- Asian actors will be thick on the ground at the Pusan Intl. Film Festival, where organizers will host the launch of the Asia Pacific Actors Network.

Organized separately from the Star Summit Asia, which is part of the Asian Film Market, APAN tries to increase contacts between the region's thesps and producers, investors and directors.

Stars and filmmakers will be invited to attend a conference, banquet, red carpet event and party Friday, the second day of the festival, which ends Oct. 12. The network will also assemble a small fund, which will provide up-front financing to projects that bring together high-profile directors and talent.

Korean thesps Ahn Sung-ki ("Battle of Wits"), Park Joong-hoon ("The Truth About Charlie"), and Kang Su-yeon ("Surrogate Mother"), who will oversee APAN's launch, hope that the network will encourage a more integrated Asian film industry.

"Industries like Hollywood, the U.K. and Australia share a common language that makes it easier for stars to cross borders," says Park. "We picture APAN as a space where these sorts of exchanges can more easily take place."

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