The winner of BIFFDOCS, Australia’s richest documentary award, was named today by an eminent jury of experienced documentary practitioners.

“The judging panel’s unanimous decision was to award the top prize to the South Korean entry, Arirang,” Screen Queensland CEO Maureen Barron announced.

“Submitted by one of South Korea’s most celebrated filmmakers, Kim Ki-duk, Arirang is a disturbing autobiographical statement that has been described as the absolute and final expression of a filmmaker.

“In taking out the BIFFDOCS prize, Arirang continues its global success, including winning the 2011 Cannes Un Certain Regard section earlier this year.

Ms Barron said BIFFDOCS attracted an impressive 19 films from across the globe in its inaugural year, all vying for the $25 000 prize.

“BIFFDOCS attracted documentary titles from international and local filmmakers and the quality of this year’s entries ensured the judges had a tough task deciding our inaugural winner,” she said.

“The judging criteria was to find the documentary that entertained, provoked, surprised and disturbed.

Kim Ki-duk thanked the Brisbane International Film Festival (BIFF) and the jury for the award.

“It’s a great honour, and I am sorry that I couldn’t be there with you. Arirang is my confession as a human being, and it’s about my idea about what a film is,” Kim Ki-duk said.

The 2011 judges for BIFFDOCS; Richard Moore, Head of Screen Culture and BIFF director; Mark Lewis, the celebrated documentary filmmaker, producer; David Tiley, documentary filmmaker and editor of online screen journal Screen Hub, and local filmmaker Phoebe Hart, winner of the 2010 BIFF Showtime audience award for her production Orchids: My Intersex Adventure: were all impressed by the vision of the South Korean entry.

Richard Moore said Arirang was a film that delivered on every criterion.

“I invite Brisbane audiences to experience this engrossing examination of a filmmaker's journey for themselves at the repeat screenings on Friday 11 November at 3pm and Sunday 13 November at 11am, both at Tribal Theatre.”

“We are thrilled at the calibre of documentaries that BIFFDOCS attracted in its inaugural year, and look forward to seeing this competition grow in stature in the coming years,” Mr Moore said.

“I encourage audiences to experience as many of these captivating BIFFDOCS films screening over the final weekend of BIFF, including Dancing With Dictators, This Is Not a Film, A Bitter Taste of Freedom, Sons of Perdition, Tony Curtis: Driven to Stardom, Upside Down: The Creation of Sony Records, The Look and the new Morgan Spurlock film, Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan’s Hope.”

BIFFDOCS is a new initiative to recognise the best of international documentary making. Together with Screen Queensland’s support of documentary production in the state, it demonstrates the Queensland Government’s commitment to this immensely popular format.

“In 2010-11, the Queensland Government supported the production of 12 documentaries through Screen Queensland. Investment levels through the agency’s Documentary Production program increased from $278 000 in 2009-10 to $830 000 in 2010-11,” Ms Barron said.

Among the 19 films selected for the BIFFDOCS prize was Queensland-produced documentary, The Trouble With St Mary’s, which received $35,000 documentary production investment from Screen Queensland in 2009-10.

Arirang screens again at Tribal Theatre at 3.00pm Friday 11 November.

A third screening will also take place at Tribal Theatre at 11.00am Sunday 13 November.