‘Sea of Cinema’ Restores Its Glory After 3 Years ... Eve Ceremony on the 4th, Opening at Busan Cinema Center on the 5th

A 10-Day Colorful Festival Featuring 242 Officially Invited Films from 71 Countries

111 Films at Community BIFF, Over 20 Films at Neighborhood BIFF Screenings

Last October, actors walked the red carpet and entered the opening ceremony of the 26th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) held at the Busan Cinema Center.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] The 27th Busan International Film Festival will open on the 5th and run for ten days until the 14th.

Busan City announced that on the 4th, the pre-opening event will kick off at BIFF Square in Nampo-dong, and the opening ceremony will be held at 6 p.m. on the 5th at the outdoor theater of the Busan Cinema Center.

Sponsored by Busan City and hosted and organized by the Busan International Film Festival, this festival will showcase 242 official invited films from 71 countries, 111 films in Community BIFF, and about 20 films in Neighborhood BIFF, all set afloat in the sea of cinema.

Over ten days, it will meet domestic and international audiences in various forms across 16 districts and counties, including Centum City.

This event, held normally for the first time in three years, restores the scale of invitations and screenings to pre-pandemic levels and fully resumes supporting film programs and side events such as open talks.

This year’s Asian Filmmaker Award recipients include ▲Hong Kong actor Yang Zaowei ▲‘Broker’ director Koreeda Hirokazu ▲‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ producer John Landau ▲actors Kang Dong-won, Lee Young-ae, Han Ji-min, Ha Jung-woo, and many other actors and directors who will visit Busan to meet audiences.

This year’s event embraces diversity in response to the paradigm shift in cinema and strengthens popularity by expanding the number of OTT (Over the Top, online video streaming platform) series screened in the ‘On Screen Section’ from 3 last year to 9 this year, and by newly establishing the ‘Korean Cinema Today - Special Premiere’ section to introduce new Korean films expected to become popular topics.

Also, Asian film support programs that were suspended due to COVID-19, such as ▲CHANEL X BIFF Asian Film Academy ▲Asian Film Fund ▲Platform Busan, are fully resumed to support Asian film production, talent development, and business networking.

The community-based film festivals that expand the enjoyment base of the festival, ▲Community BIFF and ▲Neighborhood BIFF, are also expanded once again.

Community BIFF expands the village film-making project produced directly by local residents and maximizes audience participation through programs like Request Cinema, where audiences program films themselves.

Neighborhood BIFF, which started as a pilot project last year and received great response, will be expanded from 14 locations in 14 districts and counties last year to 17 locations in 16 districts and counties this year.

The 17th Asia Contents & Film Market, Asia’s representative content market held for four days from October 8 to 11 during the Busan International Film Festival, will introduce the Busan Story Market for the first time, expanding the existing E-IP Market.

As the world’s first story market, major domestic and international content companies and institutions participate to trade stories, the starting point of film production, including books, webtoons, and web novels.

Park Hyung-jun, Mayor of Busan, said, “I am pleased that the Busan International Film Festival, which has grown into a film festival attracting global attention as Asia’s cultural asset, is being held normally again after three years with a richer program. Through the successful hosting of the festival, we will widely promote Busan’s cultural capabilities and charm and actively support the Busan International Film Festival to grow further on the world stage.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.