Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) unveiled its full program today, including its Competition section; its biggest selection of films since 2019; and a stellar line-up of guests including Maggie Gyllenhaal, Michelle Yeoh, Majid Majidi and Japanese anime master Rintaro.
Entering its second edition this year, the Competition section will screen 14 titles, of which 12 are world premieres and four are debut features. The line-up include Beach Fictions by Korean newcomer Lim Hayeon, Between Two Lovers, from Hirokazu Kore-eda protégé Hirose Nanako, and Midday Meal, the latest film by acclaimed Iranian filmmaker who will be making his first visit to the festival.
Also in competition are two entries from the booming Indonesian film industry – Eddie Cahyono’s Ibuku and The Sea Speaks His Name, from Yosep Anggi Noen – along with Hilol, a debut feature from Uzbek filmmaker Botir Abdurakhmanov (see full competition line-up below).
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BIFF has taken another major step forward this year as the festival has been officially recognized by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF) as an “A-list festival,” joining five other major festivals – Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Sundance and Toronto.
Building on this recognition, the winner of the Busan Award – Best Film, the top prize in BIFF’s Competition section, now qualifies for submission to the Oscars in the Best International Feature Film category.
Gyllenhaal will be in town with her short film Flesh Impact, created to commemorate the centenary of Marilyn Monroe’s birth, which will be shown as a Special Screening. This section also includes a screening of Bus Stop (1956), one of Monroe’s most iconic starring roles, along with a Special Talk with Gyllenhaal; Hong Kong filmmaker Longman Leung’s recent hit Cold War 1994; and a 4K remasting of Lee Myung-se’s M.
Yeoh has been named ‘Asian Filmmaker of the Year’ at this year’s edition of the festival, while Hong Kong filmmaker Ann Hui will receive the Camellia Award, presented to filmmakers who have made significant contributions to elevating the status of women in the film industry. BIFF co-founder and former chairam Kim Dong-ho is the recipient of this year’s Korean Cinema Award.
Other major figures set to attend the festival include French actress Isabelle Huppert, who will meet Busan audiences with her latest film, All About Corinne; Filipino auteur Lav Diaz; Indonesian screen icon Christine Hakim; and Japanese anime master Rintaro, who worked in the same era as the legendary manga artist Tezuka Osamu.
In total, BIFF will screen 246 official selections – an increase of five titles from the previous edition, marking the festival’s largest line-up since 2019. The festival will also open one day earlier than in previous years, on Tuesday, October 6, giving audiences greater flexibility in planning their visits and screenings. During the festival’s busiest period from Thursday through Sunday, daily screenings will expand from the usual four slots to five, creating more opportunities for audiences to catch the most talked-about titles.
As previously announced, Kim Jong-kwan’s The Table: Day and Night will receive its world premiere as the opening film of this year’s BIFF. The film follows four couples as they experience different moments of a love at single café from summer to autumn.
BIFF’s Vision Korea has selected 12 films, including Kim Hyomi’s debut animated feature, Earbug; Park Kun-young’s Things I Left At The Theater, and Shin Dongmin’s Not For You. Vision Asia has selected 11 titles including 1982, from Vietnamese director Nguyen Hoang Diep; Ria, from the Philippines’ Arvin Belarmino; Hong Kong filmmaker Isabella Lam Lok-hin’s debut feature Dead End; and coming-of-age story Bua, which marks the directorial debut of acclaimed Thai actress Inthira Charoenpura and the feature debut of co-director Phensiri Klangsurin.
The On Screen selection has selected three upcoming series – Netflix’s Blue Road and Dead-End Job and Disney+’s The Ramarried Empress. Korean Cinema Today – Special Premieres include Kim Ji-hyun’s Cattle Run, Lee Hu-bin’s Sapiens and Kim Sung-yoon’s The Sorry Generation. Na Hong-jin’s Hope and Yoon Dan-bi’s The World Before are among the titles screening in Korean Cinema Today – Panorama Section.
Special programs include a focus on Korean actor Ahn Sung-ki, featuring six of his films with leading directors and actors discussing his work. Other highlights include a Japanese Animation Special, which will feature the work of anime directors Rintaro, Kadowaki Kohei, Katanosaka Ryo, Natsume Shingo, and Shinomiya Yoshitoshi – all of whom are scheduled to attend the festival.
Busan’s industry platform, Asian Contents and Film Market (ACFM) recently named Thailand as the inaugural Country of Honor, as well as Japan as the Focus Country for Producer Hub. ACFM has also announced the line-up for its InnoAsia section. Asian Project Market (APM) has selected 30 projects from 20 countries for this year’s edition.
BUSAN 2026 COMPETITION SECTION:
*First feature
Beach Fictions*, dir: Lim Hayeon (Korea) WP
Between Two Lovers, dir: Hirose Nanako (Japan) WP
The Day After Sunday, dir: Kato Takuya (Japan, France) WP
Descendants, dir: Chen Jiwen (China) WP
The First Taste Of Loneliness, dir: Gu You (China) WP
Hilol*, dir: Botir Abdurakhmanov (Uzbekistan) WP
Ibuku, dir: Eddie Cahyono (Indonesia, Japan) WP
Long Long Night*, dir: Youm Kyubock (Korea) O
Midday Meal, dir: Majid Majidi (Iran) WP
Satoko Always, dir: Okita Shuichi (Japan) IP
The Sea Speaks His Name, dir: Yosep Anggi Noen (Indonesia) WP
Shaving, dir: Kim Jung-Hoon (Korea) WP
Silver Express*, dir: Tanaka Miki (Japan) WP
To Be Ordinary, dir: Lee Yun Chan (Taiwan) WP
