New competition section, international turnout and expanded film market mark BIFF 30
BUSAN — The 30th Busan International Film Festival wrapped its 10-day run on Friday, reporting an uptick of roughly 20,000 attendees on-year and underscoring its role as a launchpad for Asian cinema.
Running Sept. 17-26, Asia's premier film festival unspooled 328 titles across 31 screens in seven venues, welcoming 7,036 industry professionals from Korea and abroad.
Festival Chairperson Park Kwang-su told reporters Friday that the festival drew a stronger-than-anticipated reception.
“Although there were no public holidays during this year’s festival period, the response was greater than expected. Including the audiences from side programs such as Community BIFF and BIFF in the Neighborhood, attendance increased by about 20,000 compared to last year.”
In particular, festival director Jung Han-seok highlighted the newly launched competition section as a major milestone, noting that it strengthened BIFF’s mission to showcase Asian cinema.
The section, titled the Busan Awards, invited 14 films from across the region for its inaugural competition. Winners will be announced Friday evening at the closing ceremony, with a jury chaired by filmmaker Na Hong-jin (“The Yellow Sea,” “The Wailing”) and including Korean American director Kogonada, actress Han Hyo-joo, Hong Kong star Tony Leung Ka-fai and four other jurors.
“No matter which competition section it may be, if it is supposed to provide a certain promotional effect for the creators who come to the festival and shed light on their future path, then that effect must actually take place," said Jung.
"I didn’t check every case, but for example, there’s a Japanese film called 'Leave the Cat Alone' and a Sri Lankan film 'Spying Stars.' After the announcement that they were selected for BIFF's competition section, they were able to secure international sales agents. I felt that the very practical effects we originally aimed for are indeed happening,” Jung said.
Organizers also underscored BIFF’s role as a platform for dialogue with policymakers.
Park recounted that President Lee Jae Myung asked with concern whether the festival had many guests, remarking after the screening that he would take a "close look at the Korean film industry." Lee attended BIFF on Sept. 20 with his wife, watching the official selection “Time of Cinema.” Park further added that Democratic Party leader Jung Chung-rae and other politicians engaged with film distributors, producers and independent filmmakers during their visits to BIFF.
Meanwhile, Ellen Kim, who heads the Asian Contents & Film Market, highlighted the growth of the four-day marketplace, which ran in parallel with BIFF.
“This year, the number of registered participants increased by 14 percentage points compared to last year, reaching about 3,000. Of these, 60 percent were film professionals from overseas,” Kim said. ACFM, which ran at BEXCO from Sept. 20 to 23, served as a marketplace for film, audiovisual intellectual property, books, webtoons and web novels.
Looking ahead, Jung emphasized that this year’s successes should be leveraged into lasting growth.
“I believe the strength and depth of this year’s program had a significant impact. We tried to subdivide and refine the existing programs while also addressing niche demands in between," he said.
"I also think the newly established sections proved effective. Of course, the uniqueness of the festival’s 30th edition cannot be overlooked. However, we don’t want this to remain a one-time peculiarity. Through this year’s experience, we’ve gained some internal vision on how the festival can be operated in ways that ensure long-term sustainability," he added.
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