The 30th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) is set to kick off on Wednesday, featuring a star-studded lineup of films, including celebrated director Park Chan-wook’s latest murder comedy, “No Other Choice”. The festival, which is considered Asia’s biggest, will showcase 241 official entries from 64 countries, including 90 world premieres.
The BIFF, which has long been a platform for discovering emerging Asian talent, is undergoing a revamp this year, launching its first major competition section featuring 14 titles, including four South Korean pictures. The competition section will be judged by juries headed by South Korean filmmaker Na Hong-jin.
Busan International Film Festival Showcases Asian Cinema
The festival’s programme director, Karen Park, said the lineup was designed to honour Asian cinema in the way it wishes to be understood. “I believe it is meaningful that an Asian film festival, which understands Asian culture and its linguistic and historical contexts, evaluates Asian films and offers its own perspectives on them,” she said. The inclusion of films such as Zhang Lu’s “Gloaming In Luomu” and Taiwan’s megastar Shu Qi’s directorial debut “Girl” highlights the diversity of Asian cinema.
Auteur Park Chan-wook returns to Busan with “No Other Choice”, a murder comedy based on American writer Donald E. Westlake’s 1997 novel “The Ax”. The film, which was warmly received at the Venice Film Festival, follows a desperate laid-off worker who decides to kill off potential competitors for a new job. It stars South Korea’s top actors, including “Squid Game” star Lee Byung-hun and “Crash Landing on You” actress Son Ye-jin.
Emerging Talents in Asian Cinema
BIFF programmer Park Sung-ho noted a “wave of exciting new voices emerging” in Asia, especially in short films where sensitive themes are tackled with remarkable freedom. “In much of Asia, freedom of expression is still not widely guaranteed, yet within shorts young directors have revealed their individuality in striking ways, offering reasons to feel optimistic about the future of Asian cinema,” he said.
The festival will also host a singalong screening of Netflix’s K-pop fantasy hit “KPop Demon Hunters”, which has been a global success. Other notable films include “Hana Korea”, a North Korean refugee drama starring “Pachinko” star Kim Min-ha, and “The People Upstairs”, a film centred on the issue of inter-floor noise, directed by South Korean actor-director Ha Jung-woo.
Soft Power and Cultural Exchange
The BIFF’s expansion into a major competition festival is part of South Korea’s efforts to project its soft power worldwide. The global success of Korean cultural works, such as “Squid Game” and “Parasite”, has put the country’s film industry in the spotlight. The festival’s guest list includes Asia’s celebrated auteurs Bong Joon-ho and Jia Zhangke, as well as international stars like Juliette Binoche and Milla Jovovich.
As the festival unfolds, it is expected to showcase the diversity and richness of Asian cinema, while also highlighting the challenges faced by filmmakers in the region. The outcome of the competition and the reception of the films will be closely watched by industry insiders and film enthusiasts alike. The next step for BIFF will be to continue to promote Asian cinema and provide a platform for emerging talents, with the 31st edition expected to be announced in the coming months. The impact of this year’s festival on the global film industry remains to be seen.
