Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) has unveiled the full lineup for its 31st edition, including 14 titles in Competition and a raft of guests including Maggie Gyllenhaal, Hirokazu Koreeda, Michelle Yeoh, Fan Bingbing and Isabelle Huppert.
The competitive strand, which launched last year, features 12 world premieres and films from South Korea, Japan, China, Taiwan, Iran, Uzbekistan and Indonesia.
Scroll down for full Competition lineup
There is an extra edge to this year’s Competition as the winner of the section’s Busan Award for best film will qualify for submission to the Academy Awards in the best international feature film category. This follows BIFF being officially recognised by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF) as an “A-list festival,” joining Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Sundance and Toronto.
Those in the running include Between Two Lovers, a Japanese throuple drama from Hirokazu Kore-eda protégé Nanako Hirose who returns to the festival after her debut His Lost Name played in BIFF’s New Currents competition in 2018.
Iran’s Majid Majidi, whose films have played Cannes, Berlin and Venice over the past 35 years, will make his first visit to the festival and South Korea with Midday Meal.
Indonesian filmmaker Yosep Anggi Noen, whose credits include Locarno winning The Science Of Fictions and 24 Hours With Gaspar, will compete with political drama The Sea Speaks His Name, starring Reza Rahadian and Dian Sastrowardoyo.
Also from Indonesia is Ibuku from Eddie Cahyono, the filmmaker behind acclaimed 2014 feature Siti.
Japan’s Shuichi Okita returns to Busan with the international premiere of Satoko Always, having previously been selected for the festival in 2020 with Ora, Ora Be Goin′ Alone.
From China, Descendants marks the latest work from Chen Jiwen while family drama The First Taste Of Loneliness marks the final chapter of Gu You’s Landscape trilogy, which began with Cannes Critics’ Week 2019 title Dwelling In The Fuchun Mountains.
Taiwanese filmmaker Lee Yun Chan, who was last at BIFF more than 20 years ago with debut The Shoe Fairy, returns with family drama To Be Ordinary. Mandarin Vision has secured worldwide rights.
Feature directorial debuts set to world premiere at BIFF include Beach Fictions by Korean newcomer Lim Hayeon and Hilol from emerging Uzbek filmmaker Botir Abdurakhmanov.
Further titles include The Day After Sunday, a collaboration between rising Japanese director Takuya Kato and acclaimed actress Haru Kuroki, and Silver Express from Miki Tanaka, whose short Ginger Boy (Separated) played in Cannes’ La Cinef competition last year.
Animation Long Long Night from South Korea’s Youm Kyu-bock will compete in Busan fresh from its world premiere at Toronto, while Kim Jung-hoon’s Shaving will bring Korean horror to the competition.
A total of 246 titles have been selected for the upcoming festival – five more than last year and the largest lineup since pre-pandemic 2019. It includes 10 international premieres and 95 world premieres.
As previously announced, the world premiere of Kim Jong-kwan’s The Table: Day And Night will open the festival. Opening night at the distinctive outdoor theatre of the Busan Cinema Center will also see Malaysian Oscar-winning actress Michelle Yeoh receive the Asian Filmmaker of the Year award.
Yeoh leads a guest lineup that also includes US actress and director Gyllenhaal, who will present short Flesh Impact, fresh from its premiere at Venice, in which Ellen Burstyn and Dakota Johnson play versions of Marilyn Monroe.
French actress Huppert will accompany her latest film, All About Corinne directed by Marc Fitoussi, while Chinese star Fan Bingbing will be joined by Shu Qi and Zhou Xun in Busan. Japanese auteur Koreeda will attend a gala presentation of Look Back, following its Venice and Toronto premieres.
Further honours will be presented to Kim Dong-ho, founding festival director of the Busan International Film Festival, who will receive the Korean Cinema Award; and Hong Kong New Wave director Ann Hui, who will be given the Camellia Award.
Also previously announced, the Vision section will see 23 features from across Asia compete for several awards. Split into two strands – Vision-Korea and Vision-Asia – the category will highlight independent filmmakers including Vietnam’s Nguyen Hoang Diep, Filipino director Arvin Belarmino and South Korea’s Kim Miyoung.
The Icons section, showcasing the latest features from world-renowned filmmakers, will comprise 35 titles. The selection includes Cannes award-winners such as Cristian Mungiu’s Fjord, Andrey Zvyagintsev’s Minotaur, Paweł Pawlikowski’s Fatherland and Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s All of a Sudden. Also selected is Ilker Çatak’s Berlinale Golden Bear winner Yellow Letters.
They are joined by Lee Chang-dong’s Possible Love, set to premiere in Competition at Venice and South Korea’s submission for the Oscars, and Hong Sangsoo’s Nowhere to Lay My Eyes, which recently won three awards at Locarno including best director.
Daily screenings will expand from the usual four slots to five from Thursday through Sunday, creating more opportunities for audiences to attend screenings during the festival’s busiest period.
The festival is set to run October 6-15, with the 21st Asian Contents & Film Market (ACFM) taking place from October 10-13.
Busan 2026 Competition
Beach Fictions (S Kor)
Dir. Lim Hayeon
Between Two Lovers (Japan)
Dir. Hirose Nanako
The Day After Sunday (Japan-Fr)
Dir. Kato Takuya
Descendants (China)
Dir. Chen Jiwen
The First Taste Of Loneliness (China)
Dir. Gu You
Hilol (Uzbek)
Dir. Botir Abdurakhmanov
Ibuku (Indo-Japan)
Dir. Eddie Cahyono
Long Long Night (S Kor)
Dir. Youm Kyubock
Midday Meal (Iran)
Dir. Majid Majidi
Satoko Always (Japan)
Dir. Okita Shuichi
The Sea Speaks His Name (Indo)
Dir. Yosep Anggi Noen
Shaving (S Kor)
Dir. Kim Jung-hoon
Silver Express (Japan)
Dir. Tanaka Miki
To Be Ordinary (Tai)
Dir. Lee Yun Chan
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