Busan film festival joins Cannes and Venice as global cinema platform

The Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) will hold its 31st edition from Oct. 6 to 15, presenting its largest lineup since 2019 with 247 official selections and a wide array of special events.

The festival's international standing has surged following two major recognitions: the International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF) granted it A-list status, and BIFF became the only festival in Asia whose top competition prize carries Academy Awards eligibility. Building on that momentum, the festival aims to establish itself as a global platform where filmmakers and audiences shape the future of cinema together.

"It is true that BIFF's international standing has risen sharply since last year's 30th edition," BIFF Executive Director Jeong Han-seok said at a press conference held Tuesday afternoon at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Jung-gu, Seoul. "I want to convey that BIFF has taken on a role in international recognition and exchange."

In March, FIAPF officially designated BIFF as an A-list festival under its newly restructured certification system — a roster of only 17 festivals worldwide recognized for international influence, including Cannes, Venice and Berlin. Then in May, BIFF was selected by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) as the only festival in Asia whose top prize confers eligibility for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film. Only six festivals globally hold that designation: Busan, Cannes, Venice, Berlin, Sundance and Toronto.

"This is the first time Busan has officially been recognized as a world-class film festival," Chairman Park Gwang-su said. "From Europe's perspective, we are among the world's top 17 festivals; from the Academy's perspective, we are one of the six major festivals."

This year's festival will screen 315 films in total, with 246 official selections from 59 countries. Among them, 95 are world premieres and 10 are international premieres.

Director Kim Jong-kwan's new feature "Day and Night Belong to Each Other" will open the 31st BIFF. The film follows four couples who pass through a single cafe across the changing seasons from summer to autumn, capturing their light and unadorned conversations.

"It is not a large-scale project like last year's opening film 'Nothing Can Stop Us,' but it is by no means a film lacking popular appeal," Jeong said. "It is a work that showcases director Kim Jong-kwan's delicate direction and the performances of actors working within a confined space."

The opening ceremony, hosted by actor Kim Min-ha, will include awards presentations for this year's Asian Filmmaker of the Year recipient Michelle Yeoh, Korean Cinema Award recipient and former BIFF Chairman Kim Dong-ho, and Camellia Award recipient Hong Kong director Ann Hui.

Now in its second year, the competition section features 14 films representing contemporary Asian cinema, all vying for the Busan Awards Grand Prize.

The competition lineup is: Lim Ha-yeon's "That Day's Taeju," Yeom Gyu-bok's "The Long Night," Kim Jeong-hun's "Shaving," Cheon Ji-won's "Descendant," Nanako Hirose's "Between Two Lovers," Shuichi Okita's "Satoko Is Always," Takuya Kato's "The Day After Sunday," Majid Majidi's "Bread and Book," Edy Cahyono's "My Mother," Yosep Anggi Noen's "A Name Carved in the Sea," Miki Tanaka's "Silver Express," Li Yunchan's "To Be Ordinary," Gu Yu's "The First Loneliness" and Botir Abdurakhmonov's "Hilol." Four of the 14 are debut features and four are directed by women.

"Last year, when we first launched the competition section, there were difficulties at the start, but this year the Asian film industry engaged with us at a noticeably different level," Jeong said. "The quality and range of submissions has grown considerably."

The Vision section, which expanded from Korea to all of Asia last year, enters its second year with an even broader look at the present and emerging possibilities of Asian independent cinema. The Icon section, which spotlights the latest works by world masters, grows to a record 35 films this year, up from 33 last year.

Highlights include Cristian Mungiu's "Fiore," winner of the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival; Ilker Catak's "Yellow Letter," winner of the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival; and director Lee Chang-dong's "Possible Love," a competition entry at the Venice Film Festival.

A special program prepared exclusively for the 31st BIFF also draws attention. In partnership with the Korean Film Archive, BIFF will present "Beautiful Days: Ahn Sung-ki," a tribute to the late actor. The six films — "A Fine Windy Day" (1980), "Whale Hunting" (1984), "Chulsoo and Mansoo" (1988), "Gagman" (1988), "White Badge" (1992) and "Festival" (1996) — were personally chosen by Ahn as his representative works when he was approached about the special program during his lifetime.

A special exhibition titled "Masterpieces of Madness, Anticipated Works of Thrill: 12+1" will explore the past and future of Japanese animation, screening theatrical versions of masterworks by legends including Tezuka Osamu, Oshii Mamoru and Otomo Katsuhiro alongside the latest works by emerging filmmakers. Beyond the special program, animation is a standout presence at this year's BIFF, with competition entry "The Long Night" among the animated films featured.

"Animation is generating a powerful wave worldwide, and the tradition of Japanese animation cannot be excluded from that," Jeong said. "Beyond the 13 films in this year's special exhibition, another 14 animated works will screen at the festival. Animation making such a strong showing at Busan is unprecedented."

The guest lineup is equally impressive. Hollywood star Maggie Gyllenhaal, known for her role in Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight," will make her first visit to Korea; she also serves as jury president of the competition section at this year's Venice Film Festival. Michelle Yeoh, one of Asia's most celebrated actors, returns to Busan for the first time in 15 years to receive the Asian Filmmaker of the Year award, while French screen icon Isabelle Huppert will attend with a new film. Indonesian actor Christine Hakim has also been invited.

A procession of world-renowned directors will also make the trip. They include Majid Majidi, director of "Children of Heaven"; Rintaro, the living legend of Japanese animation known for directing the theatrical version of "Galaxy Express 999"; and Japanese master Hirokazu Kore-eda. Taiwan's Tsai Ming-liang and Korean directors Lee Chang-dong, Na Hong-jin and Kim Jee-woon, along with cinematographer Hong Kyung-pyo, are also expected to attend. Invitations to additional top-tier Hollywood directors and actors are currently in progress.

Stars from across Asia round out the guest list. From China, actor-director Shu Qi, Zhou Xun and Fan Bingbing will visit Busan. From Japan, Masami Nagasawa, Erika Sawajiri, Haru Kuroki, Kento Yamazaki and Ryusei Yokohama are among those expected to attend. Shuhua of idol group (G)I-DLE will walk the red carpet in Busan as an actor, and Thai star Davika Hoorne will also be present.

Confirmed Korean attendees include Kim Go-eun, Kim Min-ha, Ryu Seung-ryong, Shin Min-a, Lee Min-ho and Ju Ji-hoon — the cast of "Actors' House" — as well as Jeon Do-yeon, Sul Kyung-gu, Yoo Hae-jin, Hyun Bin, Jung Woo-sung, Lee Hee-jun, Son Suk-ku and Kim Hye-ja.

"If last year's festival was meant to be a celebration for overcoming the crisis in Korean cinema and making a fresh leap forward, my hope for this year's Busan film festival is that it becomes a midpoint from which Korean cinema can move toward even greater prosperity," Jeong said. "I sincerely hope the 31st Busan film festival will mark an important turning point for the flourishing of Korean cinema."