From the First OTT Film Opening to a BTS Documentary... A New Start for the Busan Film Festival

Opening with Netflix and Park Chan-wook's collaboration 'Jeon,ran'
224 works from 63 countries invited... Special tribute to late Lee Seon-gyun

Chairman Park Kwang-soo attending the Busan Film Festival press conference
[Photo by Yonhap News]

The 29th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) is making a fresh start after last year's internal turmoil surrounding organizational personnel changes.

From the 2nd to the 11th of next month, the Busan Film Festival will be held around the Busan Cinema Center, screening 224 films from 63 countries. Among these, 86 films are world premieres, and 55 films are part of the 'Community BIFF' section. The invited films will be shown across 29 screens in 7 theaters, including CGV Centum City and Lotte Cinema Centum City. The number of screenings has increased by about 8% compared to last year (209 films). Earlier, Park Kwang-soo, chairman of the Busan Film Festival, stated at a press conference, "We will recover what was lost last year and seek a new direction," expressing his ambition to maintain the scale of the festival through self-funding despite the national subsidy being halved last year.

This year's opening film is the OTT (over-the-top) Netflix movie Jeon, Ran (director Kim Sang-man). This is the first time an OTT film has been screened as the opening film at the Busan Film Festival. Directed and written by Park Chan-wook, the film stars actors Kang Dong-won, Cha Seung-won, and Park Jung-min. Set during the Japanese invasions of Korea, the story revolves around household slaves who revolt, leading to the death of an entire family, and the conflict between the noble family's only son (played by Park Jung-min) and his servant (played by Kang Dong-won), who point their blades at each other. Acting executive director Park Do-shin introduced it as "the most popular opening film in the festival's history," adding, "We did not consider the fact that it is an OTT film; the selection was based solely on how good the film is."

The closing film is Journey of the Soul, a Singapore-France-Japan co-production. Directed by Eric Khoo, the first Singaporean to receive cultural honors at the Cannes, Berlin, and Venice Film Festivals, the film explores themes of human existence, meaning, life, and death.

Movie 'Jeon, Ran' Still [Photo by Netflix]

'RM: Right People, Long Places' stills
[Photo by BIFF]

This year’s lineup includes the Cannes Film Festival Palme d'Or winner Anora (director Sean Baker) and the Jury Prize winner Everything Imagined in Light. The documentary RM: Light People, Long Places, which follows BTS leader RM’s process of creating a solo album, will also be presented to audiences.

The section 'Korean Cinema Today ? Special Premiere,' which showcases new Korean commercial films as premieres, features Exposure: The Child Who Closed Their Eyes starring Kim Min-ha and Choi Hee-seo, director Hur Jin-ho’s new film Ordinary Family starring Sol Kyung-gu, Bogota starring Song Joong-ki, Don't Touch Dirty Money featuring Jung Woo and Kim Dae-myung, and Blue Snow, adapted from a Taiwanese film, starring Hong Kyung and Noh Yoon-seo. The 'On Screen' section, which screens dramas and OTT series, invites six works including the drama spin-off Good or Bad Dong-jae from Secret Forest, the thriller Gangnam B-Side starring Jo Woo-jin and Ji Chang-wook, and the Netflix series Hellbound 2.

Three special exhibitions will be held. 'Miguel Gomes, the Cheerful Melancholy Cineaste' will screen eight feature films by Portuguese master Miguel Gomes. The Cannes Film Festival Best Director winner The Grand Tour will also be presented. A special exhibition for the late Lee Sun-kyun, who passed away in December last year, will screen six works including Parasite (2019), the first Korean film to win the Palme d'Or at Cannes, and the drama My Mister (2018). The program 'Teen Hearts, Teen Films' features works by emerging Asian directors. During the festival, an AI special booth will be installed. Microsoft, a U.S. company, will participate for the first time in the Asia Contents & Film Market, opening an AI experience space.

This year’s Asian Filmmaker of the Year award goes to Japanese director Kiyoshi Kurosawa, known for films such as Cure (1997), Bright Future (2002), and Wife of a Spy (2020). The Korean Film Contribution Award is given posthumously to Lee Sun-kyun.