Iranian filmmaker Majid Majidi’s drama “Midday Meal” won the top prize at the Busan International Film Festival in South Korea on Thursday. The win also gives the film automatic eligibility for the Oscars’ international feature category.
A jury led by Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou, director of “Raise the Red Lantern,” chose the film. It follows a teacher in a poor Iranian village who turns to smuggling to keep his school afloat. This year’s lineup featured 13 contenders, including three South Korean titles.
Majidi dedicates the award to his late mother
Speaking through an interpreter, Majidi said he owed the win to the love and energy his mother gave him before she died a few months before filming began. He also praised the Iranian people for having “never given up.” He pointed to the ongoing conflict with the United States, years of legal sanctions and a lack of access to medicine.
Academy rule change expands Oscar eligibility
The win carries extra weight because the US-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences revamped its rules in May. The category was once known as the foreign language Oscar. Under the new rules, winning one of six film festivals, a list that includes Busan, Cannes and Berlin, grants immediate eligibility.
Previously, the category was limited to a single film per country, chosen by an Academy-approved selection committee. The broad list of contenders is then narrowed to five nominees.
Festival opens with Korean drama and honours industry figures
Busan, long an incubator for Asian film talent, opened its 31st edition with a screening of Kim Jong-kwan’s “The Table: Day and Night.” Oscar-winning actress Michelle Yeoh received this year’s Asian Filmmaker of the Year prize. Hong Kong filmmaker Ann Hui received the Camellia Award for her work empowering women in the industry.
A total of 315 films were screened, with 246 officially selected titles making up the festival’s largest lineup since 2019. Organisers said the event drew more than 200,000 visitors.
