BUSAN: Oscar-winning director Martin Scorsese’s new film finally premiered at the Busan International Film Festival on Saturday after being pulled from the program in Venice and amid criticism of its commercial nature.

The 16-minute film, titled “The Audition” and starring Robert De Niro, made its world debut in an inconspicuous cinema tucked away at the back of a South Korean shopping mall.

The idea for the film was conceived by Australian playboy billionaire James Packer and his business partner Lawrence Ho to promote Studio City, the $3.2 billion Hollywood-inspired casino the pair’s Melco Crown Entertainment are building in the Chinese enclave of Macau, and another similar project titled City of Dreams being built in Manila.

With lingering shots of the attractions that will be on offer at the properties when they open, the film doesn’t shy away from openly commercial references.

But the cast plays up to the conceit, playing obviously exaggerated versions of themselves, including Scorsese, with the director leading the premise that he has them all vying for the one role in some imagined new production.

Elizabeth Kerr, The Hollywood Reporter’s reviewer in Busan, summed the experience up by saying the film was “keenly self aware.”

Performances by De Niro, Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt ensured a full house at the 10 a.m. screening of the Busan International Film Festival’s Short Film Showcase program.