Busan Film Festival Draws 160,000 Over Ten Days... The Return of the Festival and Stars

Normal Hosting After 3 Years Since the COVID-19 Pandemic
1.6 Million Viewers Watched 242 Films from 71 Countries

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Iseul] The 27th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), which declared a full-scale normal opening for the first time in three years, successfully leveraged star marketing and concluded smoothly.

BIFF held a closing press conference on the morning of the 14th, announcing that 161,145 people watched 242 films from 71 countries over ten days. The seat occupancy rate was 74%. Community BIFF, a program involving audience participation, attracted 17,166 people, and Neighborhood BIFF had 11,002 participants.

This year, 100% seating was operated without social distancing, and many star actors such as Tony Leung (Liang Chaowei), Kang Dong-won, and Lee Young-ae attended. There were 1,694 overseas guests and 4,712 domestic guests at the festival. There were 304 Audience with Director (GV) sessions, 11 open talks, and 4 Actors House events, along with Ajou Damdam and Forum BIFF.

BIFF embraced online video services (OTT). The 'On Screen' section, which screens new OTT content in theaters, expanded from 3 films last year to 9 this year, showing signs of settling in. Each OTT company actively promoted through event booths and night events during the festival.

This year’s Asia Contents & Film Market saw participation from 2,465 people representing 1,102 companies from 49 countries, a 12% increase compared to 2019 before the pandemic. The newly established Busan Story Market featured 51 Korean and Asian IPs (intellectual properties), with 1,027 meetings held.

BIFF selected 2 New Currents Awards, 2 Jiseok Awards, 2 BIFF Mecenat Awards, 2 Sonje Awards, and 2 Actors of the Year.

The festival, which opened on the 5th, concluded with a closing ceremony on the 14th. The ceremony was hosted by actors Kwon Yul and Han Sun-hwa, and the closing film was "A Man" directed by Japanese director Ishikawa Mei.

List of Award Winners (Nationality)

▲ New Currents Award

'Goein' directed by Lee Jeong-hong (South Korea)

'That Woman, Shibamma' directed by Jaishankar Ariyar (India)

▲ Jiseok Award

'Scent of the Wind' directed by Hadi Mohaghegh (Iran)

'Transformation' directed by Yolkin Tuychiev (Uzbekistan)

▲ BIFF Mecenat Award

'Table for Two' directed by Kim Bo-ram (South Korea)

'Football Fan Zahra' directed by Shahmin Mortahezadeh, Fariz Kushdel (Iran)

Special Mention: 'Dear Mother, I Want to Write About Death' directed by Chen Xi (USA, China)

▲ Sonje Award

'Warm Afternoon' directed by Lan Tian (China)

'And Home' directed by Jung Eun-wook (South Korea)

Special Mention: 'Life of Others' directed by Noh Do-hyun (South Korea)

▲ Actor of the Year

'Big Sleep' Kim Young-sung (South Korea)

'Star of Ulsan' Kim Geum-soon (South Korea)

▲ KB New Currents Audience Award

'That Winter' directed by Amir Bashir (India, France, Qatar)

▲ Flash Forward Audience Award

'Riceboy Sleeps' directed by Anthony Shim (Canada)

▲ FIPRESCI Award

'One Night and One Day' directed by Kubota Nao (Japan)

▲ Asian Film Promotion Organization Award

'Goein' directed by Lee Jeong-hong (South Korea)

▲ Korean Film Directors Association - Megabox Award

'Big Sleep' directed by Kim Tae-hoon (South Korea)

'Star of Ulsan' directed by Jung Ki-hyuk (South Korea)

▲ CGV Award

'Vinyl House' directed by Lee Sol-hee (South Korea)

▲ KBS Independent Film Award

'Goein' directed by Lee Jeong-hong (South Korea)

▲ CGK Cinematography Award

'Hell, Hooray' cinematographer Jung Geurim (South Korea)

▲ Critic B Award

'Goein' directed by Lee Jeong-hong (South Korea)

▲ Watcha Award

'Peacock' directed by Byun Sung-bin (South Korea)

'Vinyl House' Lee Sol-hee (South Korea)

▲ Watcha Short Film Award

'Life of Others' directed by Noh Do-hyun (South Korea)

▲ Aurora Media Award

'Vinyl House' directed by Lee Sol-hee (South Korea)

'Big Sleep' directed by Kim Tae-hoon (South Korea)

▲ Citizen Critic Award

'Birth' directed by Yoo Ji-young (South Korea)

▲ Busan Cinephile Award

'While We Were Watching' directed by Vinay Shukla (UK)

▲ Lee Chun-yeon Film Person Award

Producer Baek Jae-ho (South Korea)

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