(L-R) Actor Shawn Dou, director Zhang Yimou and actress Zhou Dongyu attend a photocall at the premiere of "Under the Hawthorn Tree", the opening film of the 15th Pusan International Film Festival on Thursday, October 7, 2010 in Busan, South Korea. [Photo: Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images/CFP]

The Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF), South Korea's most prestigious film event, kicked off its nine-day journey Thursday (October 7) in the country's southeastern port city of Busan.

The PIFF, which runs Oct. 7 through Oct. 15, has unarguably grown into Asia's biggest film gathering with its line-up of 308 productions from 67 countries and regions this year, including a record 103 world premieres and 52 international premieres.

The 15th edition of the festival raised its curtains with the screening of Chinese director Zhang Yimou's "Under the Hawthorn Tree". The opening film by Zhang, an internationally acclaimed filmmaker whose credits include "Raise the Red Lantern", "To Live", and "Hero", sold out in 18 seconds after the online ticket sales opened last month.

"I focused mainly on the love between the two main characters, not on the sadness about the era the film was set in," said Zhang during a press conference held on Thursday. "It is my honor to participate in the PIFF with my film being the opening one, especially when it is the last year for PIFF director Kim Dong-Ho," said Zhang.

"Under the Hawthorn Tree" is regarded to show Zhang's return to the humble style of his early films after many years of large-scale projects as well as the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

"I think what (Zhang) does after the Olympics are considerably smaller projects compared to his previous productions. I'm curious to know what his next move will be," said Christopher Bourne from Meniscus Magazine based in New York after watching Zhang's opening film, which he called "sentimental".

"Zhang's film, though a simple love story after all, purely touches the hearts of audiences. Zhang's use of simple colors in the film, quite different from his previous productions, well expressed the innocence of the love between the two main characters," said Ines Min from the Korea Times based in Seoul.

At this year's PIFF, 13 films are in the New Currents competition for emerging Asian directors. The jury to decide the prize is being headed by Japanese costume designer Wada Emi, who won an Oscar for her work on Akira Kurosawa's "Ran".

Special programs have been arranged to shed light on Kurdish cinema and spotlights on the cinema industries of Spain and the Czech Republic. There are also retrospectives on South Korean cinema and tribute to its stars.

The festival's annual Asian Film Academy this year will be led by Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami, who won the Palme D'Or at Cannes in 1997 with his "Taste of Cherry".

An array of South Korean stars and international guests embellished the opening night of the PIFF. Even though so-called hallyu stars, such as Jang Dong-Gun and Lee Byung-Hun who attended the PIFF's opening ceremony last year, did not make their appearances this year, the glitz of the night still captivated the attention of many cinema fans. Chinese actress Tang Wei who is starring in a remake of 1960s South Korean classic "Late Autumn" in the festival's Gala Presentation added glamour to the night by walking the red carpet.

This year's PIFF bids a farewell to its director Kim Dong-Ho, who has been at the helm of the festival since its founding in 1996. "The PIFF has been able to succeed as a world's leading film festival because it discovered new directors in Asia, introduced them to the world and provided practical support for their film production," said Kim.

The PIFF will draw its curtains on Oct. 15 with "Camellia", a three-part omnibus film shot in the festival's host city by directors from South Korea, Japan and Thailand.