Busan Film Festival opens with first-ever ‘A-list’ status

The opening ceremony was held at the Busan Cinema Center, where renowned Korean and international directors and actors walked the red carpet and met fans.

The 31st edition runs through October 15 and features 247 films from 59 countries, the festival’s largest selection since 2019. A total of 95 films will premiere at BIFF.

The International Federation of Film Producers Associations has selected BIFF as one of 17 A-list festivals, alongside major events including Cannes, Berlin and Venice. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has also included BIFF among six festivals whose top Busan Award winner will be eligible for submission to the Oscars in the Best International Feature Film category.

A seven-member jury led by Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou will select the Busan Award winner from 14 films in the Competition section, which was introduced last year. The competing films come from South Korea, Japan, China, Indonesia, Iran, Taiwan and Uzbekistan.

The festival opened with South Korean director Kim Jong-kwan’s The Table: Day and Night. Other Korean films highlighted by organizers include July Chung’s coming-of-age film Dora and Still Shining, marking veteran actor Kim Hye-ja’s return to the big screen after nine years.

A number of Korean filmmakers and actors will take part in audience events, including director Lee Chang-dong and the cast of the Venice-winning Possible Love, as well as Kim Go-eun, Kim Min-ha and Shin Min-a.

International guests include Maggie Gyllenhaal, Isabelle Huppert, Zhou Xun and Fan Bingbing. Acclaimed filmmaker Alfonso Cuaron, known for Gravity and Roma, will visit South Korea for the first time.

BIFF, which focuses on Asian cinema, presented its Asian Filmmaker of the Year award to Michelle Yeoh at the opening ceremony. Yeoh was the first Asian to win the Academy Award for Best Actress. Hong Kong director Ann Hui received the Camellia Award for her lifelong contributions to empowering women in the film industry. Both attended the ceremony.

The Asian Contents and Film Market, bringing together film investors and distributors, will run from Saturday through Tuesday next week alongside the festival’s screenings and events.

Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that the Astana AI Film Festival had drawn over 1,900 submissions from more than 90 countries.