To the Sea of BIFF Films... Song Kang-ho, Chow Yun-fat, and Song Joong-ki Head to Busan

The 28th Busan International Film Festival Opens on the 4th
209 Films from 69 Countries Screened at 4 Theaters

The Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) sets sail for its 28th voyage into the sea of cinema.

On the 4th at 6 PM, the opening ceremony of the 28th Busan International Film Festival will be held at the outdoor theater of the Busan Cinema Center in Haeundae-gu, Busan. Actor Lee Je-hoon, who was selected as the host, underwent sudden surgery due to health issues two days before the event, so Park Eun-bin will take over as the sole host. The opening ceremony will also be available online.

On the afternoon of the 3rd, one day before the opening of the Busan Film Festival, a view of the Busan Cinema Center in Haeundae-gu, Busan
[Photo by Yonhap News]

This year, BIFF experienced internal turmoil. Disagreements arose over personnel appointments following the establishment of the Operating Committee Chair position, leading to an unprecedented situation. Former Executive Director Heo Moon-young resigned just months before the festival amid sexual misconduct allegations. Nam Dong-cheol, the chief programmer, and Kang Seung-ah, the deputy executive director, are serving as acting executive director and operating committee chair, respectively.

Actor Song Kang-ho will welcome guests at the festival, which currently has a vacant executive director position. Considering the unusual circumstances, he has taken on the role of 'host.' He will also attend the open talk for the film "Spiderweb" held during the festival.

Hong Kong actor Chow Yun-fat will receive the Asian Filmmaker Award this year. Chow Yun-fat will attend the opening ceremony, the open talk on the 5th, and the handprinting event. During the festival, his films "A Better Tomorrow" (1987) and "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" (2000), as well as his new film "One More Chance," will be screened.

The opening film is "Because I Hate Korea" (directed by Jang Gun-jae), and the closing film is "Emperor of the Cinema" (directed by Ning Hao). This year, 209 films from 69 countries will be shown across 25 screens in four theaters, including the Busan Cinema Center. A total of 269 films will be screened, including 60 films in the Community BIFF section.

In the competitive New Currents section, 10 films will compete, including the Korean film "The Lie of That Summer Day" (directed by Son Hyun-rok) and the Japanese film "September 1923" (directed by Mori Tatsuya).

Actors House, where audiences can hear stories from actors, will feature John Cho (on the 5th), Youn Yuh-jung and Song Joong-ki (on the 6th), and Han Hyo-joo (on the 7th) meeting audiences at the Busan KNN Theater.

The 'On Screen Section,' which showcases OTT series, will screen titles such as "Deal," "Running Mate," "Vigilante," "Unlucky Day," and "LTNS." Additionally, the documentary "Yellow Door: End of Century Cinephile Diary," about cinephile director Bong Joon-ho, will also be presented to audiences.

On the afternoon of the 3rd, one day before the opening, movie posters were installed in front of the Busan Cinema Center in Haeundae-gu, Busan.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

A special screening commemorating actress Yoon Jeong-hee, who passed away in January, and Japanese film composer Ryuichi Sakamoto, who died in March, will be held. "To the Truth," one of the posthumous works of the late Sulli from the "Persona" project, will also be unveiled.

The "Korea American Special Exhibition" will also take place. Director Lee Isaac Chung of the film "Minari," actress Youn Yuh-jung, Apple TV+’s "Pachinko" director Justin Chon, and John Cho from the film "Searching" will attend.

Additionally, Chinese actress Fan Bingbing, Japanese director Iwai Shunji of "Kyrie’s Song," and director Ryusuke Hamaguchi of "Drive My Car" will visit Busan.

This year’s lineup also includes highly anticipated films such as Hirokazu Kore-eda’s "Monster," Ken Loach’s "My Old Oak," and Luc Besson’s "Dogman," which captivated audiences at the Cannes Film Festival.

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