Bucheon Film Festival Closes, Suggesting Possibilities for the Video Industry in the 'AI Era'

Bucheon-si AI Entertech Cluster Development

[Photo by BIFAN]

The 28th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN) announced on the 18th that it screened 262 films from 49 countries over 11 days, from the 4th to the 14th, at 15 theaters across 8 cinemas in Bucheon city and online on the Wave platform. The seat occupancy rate was 74.9%, an increase of 14.6 percentage points compared to last year's 60.3%.

This year’s opening ceremony was held at the Bucheon Art Center, and over 30 XR works were exhibited at the complex cultural facility Bucheon Art Bunker B39. The webtoon convergence center hosted the 'BIFAN+' event, providing a business venue. Attendees included Anna Baryshnikov of the opening film Love Lies Bleeding, director Zheng Baorui of the closing film Guryong Fortress: Lawless Zone, actress Son Ye-jin featured in the special actor exhibition, director Kim Sung-soo of the blockbuster Seoul’s Spring (2023), jury president Park Joong-hoon, J-horror master director Nakata Hideo, famous Japanese actor Yagira Yuya, and Jang Mi-hee, all of whom visited Bucheon.

With artificial intelligence (AI) as a key theme, the festival launched the new business 'BIFAN+ AI.' Prior to the opening, the 'AI Film Making Workshop' held from the 2nd to the 4th attracted about 600 applicants for 30 spots, leading to an increase to 60 participants. The newly established AI film international competition section, ‘Bucheon Choice: AI Film,’ awarded prizes in three categories: work, technology, and audience. The ‘BIFAN+ AI International Conference,’ held under the theme ‘The Future of AI and Video Content Production,’ sold out all 286 seats over two days, marking the first sold-out paid conference in Bucheon city history.

The festival organizers stated, "The AI film production system contributed to establishing BIFAN’s position as Asia’s advanced video industry hub and set a new milestone for Bucheon city’s ‘AI Entertech Cluster Development.’"

BIFAN transformed the Sohyang-ro area around Bucheon City Hall, where the outdoor event brand ‘July Carnival’ was held, into a festival ground. During the festival, Bucheon city hosted events such as ‘Chimaek Day,’ ‘Kkopsari Film Festival,’ ‘Spot Tour: Celebrity Paparazzi,’ ‘Visiting Neighborhood Cinema,’ and ‘Midsummer Night’s Cine Festa.’ At the outdoor stage talk event ‘BIFAN Street: Fanterview,’ director Kang Je-gyu of the film Taegukgi (2004), directors Lee Sang-yong and Heo Myung-haeng of the Crime City series, and actress Ahn So-hee participated.