Busan International Film Festival opens 31st edition with 247 films from 59 countries

The 31st Busan International Film Festival opened on Oct. 6 at the Busan Cinema Center in Haeundae district and runs through Oct. 15, Yonhap reported, starting a ten-day programme across Busan. Organisers invited 247 films from 59 countries, and 316 films are being screened in all when the community section is included, according to Yonhap and Maeil Business; Chosun Ilbo also reported 247 official selections, six more than last year. Yonhap said the festival uses eight theatres and 31 screens. [ 2 , 3 , 5 ]

This is the second year of the festival’s competition section, after it moved to a competitive format for its 30th edition, Yonhap and Maeil Business reported. Maeil Business said the festival was selected as an A-list festival by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations, and Korea Economic Daily headlined its A-list billing. Yonhap reported 93 world premieres among the official invitations, while Maeil Business reported 95 world premieres and 10 international premieres; the two figures do not match. [ 2 , 3 , 6 ]

The opening ceremony begins at 6 p.m., Yonhap reported. Actor Kim Min-ha hosts the ceremony alone and stars in the opening film, director Kim Jong-kwan’s “Days and Nights Are Each Other’s,” which has its world premiere in Busan, Maeil Business reported. Kim was quoted as saying she felt grateful when first approached and wondered whether she could do it well: “I have pressure and nerves, but since it is a big stage with many filmmakers and audiences, I am more excited.” Seoul Shinmun reported that Kim Jong-kwan said he hoped the film would help understand others, and carried a photo of Kim Min-ha at the festival. [ 2 , 3 , 7 , 8 ]

Michelle Yeoh is to receive the 2026 Asian Filmmaker of the Year award at the opening ceremony, visiting Busan for the first time in 15 years, with a special programme on her career, Maeil Business reported. Korea Economic Daily also listed Yeoh and Alfonso Cuarón among attendees. Maeil Business said Chinese director Zhang Yimou heads the competition jury alongside director Jung Ju-ri and actress Choi Hee-seo, and that the closing ceremony on Oct. 15, hosted by actor Im Si-wan, will announce competition awards. Alfonso Cuarón is visiting Korea for the first time for a question-and-answer session after a screening of “Gravity” and a masterclass, Maeil Business reported. [ 3 , 6 ]

Yonhap reported that 13 films were invited to the competition, including works by Korean directors Lim Ha-youn and Kim Jung-hoon, Iran’s Majid Majidi, Japan’s Hirose Nanako and Okita Shuichi and Taiwan’s Li Yun-chan. It said the Icon section shows 35 films, including Cristian Mungiu’s Palme d’Or-winning “Fjord,” and that a special programme on Japanese animation presents 13 films including shorts. Directors attending include Majid Majidi, Kore-eda Hirokazu, Rintaro, Lav Diaz and Tsai Ming-liang, and Hong Kong director Ann Hui is receiving the Camellia Award, given to filmmakers who have raised the standing of women in the industry, Yonhap reported. The agency also listed Chinese actors Zhou Xun and Fan Bingbing and Japanese actors including Nagasawa Masami among guests, and said Kim Jee-woon, Fan Bingbing and cinematographer Hong Kyung-pyo appear in the Cartes Blanches section while Kim Go-eun, Kim Min-ha, Ryu Seung-ryong, Shin Min-a and Ju Ji-hoon take part in Actors House. [ 2 ]

Maeil Business reported that the On Screen section hosts world premieres of three streaming titles: Netflix’s “꿀알바” and “푸른길” and Disney+’s “재혼 황후.” Yonhap listed additional audience programmes, including Community BIFF and Neighborhood BIFF events at markets, national heritage sites and tourist spots. Korea Economic Daily’s page also carried a related item saying the film “Assassins” had decided to cancel all of its festival-related events, including the opening red carpet and an outdoor stage greeting, citing participants’ safety as the priority; no other document in this set mentions that cancellation. [ 2 , 3 , 6 ]