Indian actors of Busan International Film Festival opening movie "Vara: A Blessing," Shahana Goswami, left, and Devesh Ranjan, pose for photographers during a press conference at Busan Cinema Center in Busan, south of Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Oct. 3, 2013. "Vara: A Blessing" is the third feature film by Bhutanese lama and filmmaker Khyentse Norbu. (AP Photo/Woohae Cho)
October 03, 2013 - 3:25 AM
BUSAN, South Korea - Established Asian stars as well as budding actors and actresses are attending the opening ceremony of this year's Busan International Film Festival.
But the director of the opening film, Bhutanese monk Khyentse Norbu, ditched the red carpet on Thursday for something much less glamorous: a cave.
Norbu remained in Bhutan because of a Buddhist training retreat. His movie, "Vara: A Blessing," is the first non-South Korean or Chinese film to open the Busan festival, Asia's largest.
The festival is known for discovering new talent and highlighting movies on the fringe of the global film industry.
The 301 movies to be presented during the 10-day festival include 95 world premieres. Many are from independent South Korean directors as well as from Mongolia, Kazakhstan and Singapore.
News from © The Associated Press, 2013