Gloaming in Luomu

Source: Busan International Film Festival

‘Gloaming in Luomu’

Zhang Lu’s Chinese drama Gloaming In Luomu has won the inaugural Busan Award for best film at the 30th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) as Taiwanese star Shu Qi scooped best director with Girl.

This year’s landmark edition of the festival featured a Competition section for the first time since its launch in 1996 and awards were presented at the closing ceremony tonight, hosted at Busan Cinema Center.

Scroll down for full list of winners

Accepting the award for best film, China-born Korean director Zhang reminded the audience that he received BIFF’s New Currents Award in 2005 with Grain In Ear and opened the festival in 2016 with A Quiet Dream. “I’m still young and healthy… I’ll be at the 100th anniversary,” he quipped.

Gloaming In Luomu focuses on a woman who travels to a small town in southwestern China to find out the truth after receiving a postcard from her missing boyfriend. Sales are handled by Beijing Monar Films.

Shu Qi, known as the star of Hou Hsiao-Hsien’s Cannes award-winner The Assassin, was viably moved accepting her best director prize for Girl. Marking her feature directorial debut, the 1980s-set drama follows a girl who dreams of escape from an abusive household. The actor-turned-director paid tribute to Hou for his support. The film previously premiered in Competition at Venice.

It was a strong night for South Korean cinema as Han Chang-lok’s Funky Freaky Freaks won the special jury award and Yoo Jae-in’s En Route To picked up best actor for Lee Ji-won and the New Currents Award.

A further best actor award was shared by Kitamura Takumi, Ayano Go and Hayashi Yuta, the three central performers in Japanese underworld thriller Baka’s Identity, directed by Koto Nagata.

The Busan Award for artistic contribution went to Liu Qiang and Tu Nan, the production designers on Bi Gan’s Resurrection, which premiered at Cannes and also stars Shu Qi.

The BIFF Mecenat awards for documentary were given to South Korea’s Raining Dust by Ju Romi and Kim Taeil, and Singing Wings by Iran’s Hemen Khaledi, which CAT&Docs boarded for sales.

South Korean filmmaker Na Hong-jin presided over Competition section jury, which also included Hong Kong star Tony Leung Ka-fai, Indian actor-filmmaker Nandita Das, Iranian director Marziyeh Meshkiny, Seoul-born US filmmaker Kogonada, Indonesian producer Yulia Evina Bhara and Korean actress Han Hyo-joo.

Further awards, festival figures

The festival’s Vision awards – recognising rising independent Asian filmmakers, playing in its Vision Asia and Vision Korea sections – were handed out yesterday and were led by On Your Lap, the feature directorial debut of Indonesian actor Reza Rahadian.

This year’s Asian Filmmaker of the Year Award went to Iranian auteur Jafar Panahi, who accepted the honour on opening night.

Further honours were presented to director Chung Jiyong, who received the Korean Cinema Award; Asian filmmaker and actor Sylvia Chang, who was given the Camellia Award; and Italian filmmaker Marco Bellocchio, who accepted the BIFF Cinema Master Honorary Award.

A final report from BIFF revealed that total admissions at the festival reached 175,889 – an increase of around 20,000 on 2024 – to its total selection of 328 films. A further 63,000 participants attended events held throughout Busan over the 10-day festival, which included the return of the BIFF Forum after a three-year hiatus.

The report also stated that the 20th Asian Contents & Film Market, which ran alongside the festival from September 20-24, attracted a record 30,006 visitors – a 13.5% increase on 2024. A total of 1,222 companies and 3,024 industry professionals from 54 countries attended.

At the Busan Exhibitor and Convention Center (Bexco), ACFM saw 289 companies from 31 countries take up 113 booths. The Asian Project Market hosted 30 upcoming titles, with industry awards led by Christine Haroutounian’s Armenia-US project Black Star Angel.

The 30th edition of the festival took place two weeks earlier than usual to avoid clashing with Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving) and is anticipated to run to its October slot in 2026.

Busan Awards 2025

Best film

Gloaming In Luomu, dir. Zhang Lu (China)

Best director

Shu Qi, Girl (Tai)

Special jury award

Han Chang-lok, Funky Freaky Freaks (S Kor)

Best actor

Lee Ji-won, En Route To (S Kor)
Kitamura Takumi, Ayano Go, Hayashi Yuta, Baka’s Identity (Japan)

Artistic contribution award

Liu Qiang, Tu Nan, production designers, Resurrection (China-Fr)

BIFF Awards

New Currents award

En Route To, dir. Yoo Jae-in (S Kor)

BIFF Mecenat award

Raining Dust, dirs. Ju Romi, Kim Taeil (S Kor)
Singing Wings, dir. Hemen Khaledi (Iran-Geo-Bel)

Sonje award

Delay, dir. Wang Han-xuan (China)
It Sounds Louder On Rainy Days, dir. Kim Sang-yun (S Kor)
Special mention: Interface, dir. Aya Kawazoe (Japan)

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