​Growing up in South Korea, Bong Joon-ho developed a love of American science fiction movies thanks to the Armed Forces Network.

Now, the acclaimed filmmaker and the new 3D version of The Host, Bong's 2006 valentine to American creature features, come to Orange Friday to open the Busan West Asian Film Festival at Chapman University.

Chapman, home of the Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, formed a partnership with Busan in 2009 to show films on campus that premiered at the festival held annually in Haeundae-gu, Busan (also known as Pusan).
 

This year's Orange festival, which continues through Sunday, is billed as a salute to filmmakers. The Busan West Icon Award will be presented to Bong, who also directed Mother and Memories of Murder (which screens at 4 p.m. Sunday and, like The Host, Quentin Tarantino has hailed as one his 20 favorite films). Bong is definitely a heavy-hitter, having served as a member of the World Dramatic jury for the Sundance Film Festival and head of the Caméra d'Or jury for the 2011 Cannes Film Festival.

Film school students get even more access to Bong, who discusses writing and directing with a master class on Saturday.

Over the course of the festival, which ends with a closing night reception, classic and contemporary Asian films selected primarily from the 2011 Busan International Film Festival by Dodge College professor Nam Lee, will be screened. Several directors are committed to personally introduce their films to local audiences.

 

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