Busan International Film Festival to Open Largest Lineup Since 2019

BUSAN/SEOUL, Sept. 1 (Yonhap) -- This year's Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) will open next month with 246 selected works from 59 countries, in its biggest lineup since 2019, organizers said Tuesday.

The 31st edition of BIFF will kick off for a 10-day run in the southeastern city of Busan on Oct. 6, with 95 films set to have their world premieres, according to the organizers.

For the second straight year, BIFF will hold the Competition section, with 14 films from countries including South Korea, Japan and Taiwan, chosen for the category dedicated to Asian cinema.

BIFF's organizing committee said the range and quality of submissions for the category have significantly become higher and richer compared with the first year.

A record 36 films will be shown in the Icons section, which features the latest works by iconic filmmakers from around the world, including Cannes-winning works, such as Cristian Mungiu's "Fjord" and Ryusuke Hamaguchi's "All of a Sudden."

Riding on the wave of the popularity of animations, demonstrated through the success of "KPop Demon Hunters," the festival will showcase a special exhibition highlighting Japanese animations, offering a chance for audiences to explore lesser known works.

For Korean film buffs, director Kim Jong-kwan's "The Table: Day and Night" will open the festival. July Chung's coming-of-age film "Dora" and "Still Shining," which marks veteran actor Kim Hye-ja's return to the big screen in nine years, are also films not to miss.

Silver screen stars, including Maggie Gyllenhaal, Isabelle Huppert, Zhou Xun and Fan Bingbing, are set to attend the event.

Also visiting Busan are Michelle Yeoh, the first Asian to win the Academy Award for Best Actress, who has been named BIFF's "Asian filmmaker of year," and Hong Kong director Ann Hui, who will receive the Camellia Award for her contributions to empowering women in the film industry.

Among renowned directors set to attend BIFF are Iranian filmmaker Majid Majidi, Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda and Taiwan-based Tsai Ming-liang, according to the organizers.

In efforts to offer more screening opportunities for audiences, many of whom plan their viewing schedules during the opening week, the film festival will open on Tuesday this year, instead of Wednesday. Organizers also plan to increase the number of screenings throughout Thursday to Sunday to cater to more audiences.