Busan Film Festival, Intense Ticketing Competition... System Error Frustration "Discussing Measures"

Photo by BIFF

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Isul] The Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) has apologized for the system error that occurred on the first day of ticket reservation.

The 27th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) began ticket reservations for general screenings and others at 2 PM on the 27th. The system error occurred when making payments using pre-purchased reservation tickets.

The reservation tickets were sold as exchange vouchers in card and mobile forms, and the process involved entering a unique number. Pre-purchases were made among movie enthusiasts as this allowed for faster reservations. However, an error message appeared when entering the reservation number, causing the payment to be interrupted and the screen to return to the initial page.

Meanwhile, some films expected to have fierce reservation competition sold out, and audiences who had purchased reservation tickets in advance expressed dissatisfaction.

BIFF stated, "The reservation tickets could not be used due to a configuration error by the ticket system operator," and apologized. They added, "The system has now been restored, and reservation tickets can be used." They also said, "We are discussing future measures."

Preparing to open as a fully face-to-face event for the first time in three years since the pandemic, BIFF will be held from the 5th to the 14th of next month around the Busan Cinema Center. A total of 243 films from 71 countries will meet audiences, with many famous actors attending, including Yang Zaowei (Liang Chaowei), Lee Young-ae, Ha Jung-woo, and Kang Dong-won.