Busan International Film Festival Opens on the 17th… Introduction of Official Competition Section and Busan Award

On September 15, two days before the opening of the 30th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), a citizen walks past a poster installed in front of the Busan Cinema Center in Haeundae District, Busan. 

The 30th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), Asia’s largest film festival, will open on September 17. 

The opening ceremony will take place at 6 p.m. on the 17th at the outdoor theater of the Busan Cinema Center.

For ten days following the ceremony, events will be held across the city, including at the Busan Cinema Center, Centum City, and Nampo-dong.

This year’s festival will screen 241 officially invited films from 64 countries, along with 87 films in the Community BIFF program and 32 films in the “Neighborhood BIFF” program.

The number of officially invited films increased by 17 compared to last year, and 90 films will make their world premiere at this year’s festival.

Notably, as BIFF celebrates its 30th edition, it has established an official competition section for the first time since its founding. Fourteen major works from Asia have been invited, expected to generate fresh buzz in the global film industry, according to the festival organizers.

The newly established Busan Award will honor films in five categories: Grand Prize, Best Director, Special Jury Prize, Best Actor/Actress, and Artistic Contribution Award.

The opening film will be Park Chan-wook’s much-anticipated “No Other Choice”, while the closing film will be the Grand Prize winner of the Busan Award.

The festival will also expand programs such as Community BIFF and Neighborhood BIFF, and will host audience-participation events including Open Cinema, Actors’ House, Master Classes, and Special Talks.

From September 20 to 23, the 2025 Asian Contents & Film Market will be held both at BEXCO Exhibition Hall 2 and online platforms.

Busan Mayor Park Heong-joon stated:

“The 30th Busan International Film Festival is both a record of how Busan has grown into a world-class film city and a new starting point for the next 30 years. Beginning with BIFF, Busan will continue its ‘Festival October’ with various autumn celebrations such as the Fireworks Festival and G-Star.”

By Kim Sun-ho