BUSAN, South Korea (October 16, 2012) – The closing ceremonies of the 17th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) wrapped with record numbers of more than 221,000 guests who descended upon the beautiful beach town, Haeundae of Busan, to watch more than 304 films from 75 countries.

ARTISTRY™, the luxury beauty brand of Amway, and Diamond Premiere Exclusive Sponsor of this year’s event, commissioned and designed the trophies, including the “New Currents Award,” “Flash Forward Award,” “Asian Filmmaker of the Year Award” and “Korean Cinema Award,” presented at the closing ceremonies.

Asia’s largest, 10-day festival, which kicked off October 4, made fashion news around the world when more than 100 celebrities, screenwriters, producers, directors and entertainment industry professionals from around the region and the globe, turned out for a star-studded Opening Ceremonies - including A-listers, Korean actor Sungkee Ahn, and Chinese actress, Tang Wei, who emceed this year’s event. 

Among those dazzling the Red Carpet was emerging Hollywood actress Teresa Palmer, who is also the global face of ARTISTRY™. Her film, “Wish You Were Here” with Joel Edgerton (filmed in Cambodia), was screened at BIFF October 5.

Not only did the Australian beauty shine in a Naeem Khan tufted taffeta, bejeweled gown, she also inadvertently took center stage amidst a glorious fireworks display which lit up the night sky above a huge billboard, 74m by 29m, featuring her likeness.

“It was one of the most exhilarating experiences of my life,” said Palmer. “Seeing my face emblazoned on a gigantic billboard is one thing, but sharing the evening with such amazing talent from around the world in support of independent filmmaking – I felt so blessed.”

Teresa Palmer signed as the celebrity face of the ARTISTRY brand in 2011 – marking the brand’s official re-emergence as a global competitor in the prestige beauty space with a revamped aesthetic, sleek, signature packaging and new product collections emphasizing innovation and performance, designed to meet the unique skin care needs of different ethnicities around the world.  She will appear in a series of advertising campaigns and TV commercials through 2014.

A 15-second ARTISTRY spot preceded each of the films screened at this year’s festival while a booth welcomed visitors to preview among its offerings – ARTISTRY YOUTH XTEND™ – a new product collection designed to address the earliest signs of age - which launches in November.

The 17th BIFF took place from Thursday, October 4 through Saturday, October 13.

About ARTISTRY
A global leader in prestige beauty, the ARTISTRY brand offers clinically tested, basic, anti-aging, whitening, intensive treatments and luxury skin care solutions backed by cutting-edge science for both men and women,  along with a diverse lip, eye, cheek and facial color palette to meet the unique needs of women  around the world. Ranked among the world’s top-five, largest-selling premium skin care brands*, ARTISTRY products are sold through a network of more than three million distributors worldwide.

About Amway
Amway is one of the world’s largest direct selling businesses. Founded in 1959 and headquartered in Ada, Michigan, Amway offers consumer products and business opportunities in more than 100 countries and territories worldwide. The company also provides product development, manufacturing and logistics services through its Access Business Group and Alticor Corporate Enterprises divisions. In its most recent fiscal year, the Amway family of companies reported annual sales of $10.9 billion. For more information, please contact Amway’s media information staff at 616.787.7565, or via e-mail at: mediainfo@amway.com.

*Source: Euromonitor International Limited. www.euromonitor.com/amway-claims

For further information: Amway Public Relations, 616-787-7565