Held from October 2 to 11 at Busan Cinema Center, Centum City, Nampo-dong, and throughout the city
224 official selections from 63 countries and 54 Community BIFF films to be screened
The 29th Busan International Film Festival, Asia's largest film festival, will be held for 10 days from October 2 to 11.
The Busan International Film Festival will officially kick off the 'Wave of Films' with its opening ceremony at 6 p.m. on October 2 at the outdoor theater of the Busan Cinema Center.
The city sponsors the event, and the Busan International Film Festival organizes and hosts it.
This year’s festival will screen 224 officially invited films from 63 countries, 54 Community BIFF selections, and 15 Neighborhood BIFF selections. Over the ten days, audiences from Korea and abroad will experience a variety of films at venues throughout the city, including the Busan Cinema Center, Centum City, and Nampo-dong.
The opening film is "Jeon, Ran," produced and written by director Park Chanwook and directed by Kim Sangman. The closing film is "The Spirits Play" by director Eric Khoo, the first Singaporean to be invited to Cannes, Berlin, and Venice International Film Festivals and to receive a cultural medal.
The number of officially invited films has increased by 15 compared to last year, and there will be 86 world premieres. Audiences can enjoy a diverse lineup, including new works from renowned directors across Asia and Europe, international award winners from festivals such as Cannes and Berlin, global hits, original series, and mainstream Korean commercial films.
This year, the festival will introduce the 'Documentary Audience Award' for the first time to broaden the appeal of the documentary genre. Forums and discussions featuring leading film industry companies and experts from Korea and abroad will also take place.
The newly established 'Documentary Audience Award' will select one winner through audience voting among ten Korean and Asian documentary competition entries in the Wide Angle section.
Forum participants will include CJ ENM, Netflix, The E&M, DMP Studio, and Younghwayeondae. Notable attendees will be Glen S. Gayner (Head of Film at Amazon Studios) and TJ Falls (Vice President of VFX at Lucasfilm), among others.
During the festival, the 19th Asia Contents & Film Market will be held from October 5 to 8. This comprehensive content market will facilitate transactions of film and video content as well as intellectual property (IP) such as stories. The event will feature enhanced programs, including the launch of the 'Producer Hub' as a platform for international co-productions and the 'Artificial Intelligence (AI) Conference' to discuss the convergence of technology and film.
Especially noteworthy is the new 'Producer Hub,' which aims to support producers seeking international co-production and funding. It will provide opportunities to share insights on changes in the film production environment and market trends by country, as well as facilitate information exchange and networking on investment, production, filming, and support programs, thereby promoting the growth and collaboration of the Asian film industry.
The conference will focus on the expanding role of artificial intelligence (AI) in film production, exploring the impact of AI on the film industry as a whole and presenting new business strategies.
Additionally, global IT company Microsoft will participate by opening a booth at the Asia Contents & Film Market for the first time in Asia, demonstrating 'Copilot' to film professionals and showcasing the fusion of technology and content. An AI experience lounge will also be available for audiences at BIFF Hill in the Busan Cinema Center.
'Copilot' refers to Microsoft’s conversational AI.
The Busan International Film Festival, as Busan’s leading cultural brand, plans to strengthen its connection with the local community by engaging with other genres and events. The festival will participate in the film section of 'Festival Siwol,' a newly launched Busan-style convergence exhibition and convention, and will host 'Neighborhood BIFF' at Domohon (the former Busan Mayor’s residence), which has been transformed into a complex cultural space.
Through participation in 'Festival Siwol,' the festival will actively cooperate to expand urban tourism demand in Busan and create new business opportunities, supporting the era of three million foreign tourists and the vision of 'Global Hub City Busan.'
Furthermore, 'Neighborhood BIFF,' a community-friendly program of the Busan International Film Festival, will be held at Domohon, now fully open to citizens as a complex cultural space, for two days from October 4 to 5. With the unique atmosphere of Domohon and impactful films, the festival is expected to be more engaging than ever, bringing together dazzling guests and the local community.
Mayor Park Hyungjun stated, "The Busan International Film Festival, Asia's largest film festival and one of Busan's most valuable cultural assets, will be even more enriching this year. We will actively support the festival so that the diverse charms of film?as art, as a medium of communication, and as an industry?shine brightly and the Busan International Film Festival continues to grow on the world stage."
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