The screening and director commentary for the short film A Very Distant Place at Short Bus Station, a multipurpose cultural space in Busan’s Geumjeong District, concluded with in-depth engagement between the filmmakers and the audience.
The March 25 event invited viewers not only to watch but to hear the director’s intentions and learn about the production process firsthand.
Director Oh Eun-young attended, screened the film with the audience, and then shared commentary and behind-the-scenes stories. A Very Distant Place unfolds through dialogue between two characters confined to a single space. Despite its restrained structure, the film sustains tension through subtle emotional beats and a disciplined, concentrated directorial approach.
During the post-screening Q&A, audience members asked about the film’s method for building tension. Director Oh said, “The spatial constraints actually made the psychological distance and relationships between the characters more distinct,” adding that she “designed the tension through minute camera movements, the actors’ breathing, and the rhythm of the dialogue.”
The film also drew attention for being shot in a virtual studio environment. Oh noted that virtual studios allow filmmakers to overcome physical limits but require far more exacting previsualization. “It was a new directorial challenge that demanded meticulous planning of actor blocking, camera movement and lighting,” she said.
A Very Distant Place was selected for the competition section of the Mise-en-scène Short Film Festival. Short Bus Station said it will continue to present programs that enable direct interaction between creators and audiences and help expand the region’s film culture.
Meanwhile, on April 1 Short Bus Station will host a lecture titled Living as a Webtoon Artist with Kwon Hyuk-ju, president of the Korea Cartoonists Association. Kwon, known for the environmentally themed Green Smile and the webtoon Thinker, has continued to produce distinctive work.
The event will take place at 6:00 p.m. on April 1 at Short Bus Station in Busan. Admission is free. For details, contact Funnycon Co., Ltd.
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