Busan International Film Festival has selected Kim Jong-kwan’s romantic drama The Table: Day And Night as the opening film of its upcoming 31st edition.
The film will receive its world premiere at the festival, which is due to run October 6-15.
The story follows four couples as they experience different moments of love at a single café from summer to autumn.
It follows the chance encounter between two people who visit the same café at different times of the day; the unexpected reunion of two school friends; a spark of creative chemistry between a web novelist and indie filmmaker; and a bittersweet moment between an idol trainee and her boyfriend.
The cast includes Shim Eun-kyung of Locarno 2025 Golden Leopard winner Two Seasons, Two Strangers; Kim Minha from Apple TV+ series Pachinko; Han Sun-hwa of 2024 box-office hit Pilot; and Handsome Guys star Lee Hee-jun. Further cast includes Joo Jong-hyuk of Because I Hate Korea, which opened BIFF in 2023; Jeon So-young; Chang Ryul; and Kim Dong-hwi.
“Without relying on excessive setups or dramatic turns, its greatest merit lies in how thoughtfully it captures the unique inner voices and emotions of its characters, as well as the subtle shifts in their relationships,” said BIFF organisers. “It brings together acclaimed performers and promising newcomers, showcasing their chemistry and ensemble performances to full effect.”
Director Kim has been a regular at Busan for more than 20 years, having directed a segment of anthology One Shining Day, which premiered at the festival in 2005. He returned with his solo directorial feature debut Come, Closer in 2010 and was selected in 2016 with The Table, another feature in which four couples encounter each other at a café.
Kim is also known for 2016’s Worst Woman, 2020’s Josée and 2021’s Shades of the Heart. He has further contributed to omnibus projects, directing Walking At Night, one of the segments of Netflix series Persona, as well as Vestige and The Killers.
The director has another anthology film set for local release, Frosted Window, which opened the London Korean Film Festival last November before going on to play Jeonju and New York Asian Film Festival.
The 31st Busan International Film Festival runs October 6-15, with the 21st Asian Contents & Film Market taking place October 10-13.
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