Busan International Film Festival facts for kids
Busan International Film Festival Logo
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| Location | Busan, South Korea |
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| Founded | 13 September 1996 |
| Most recent | 2024 |
| Awards received |
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| No. of films | 278 in 2024 |
| Language | International |
| Busan International Film Festival | |
| Hangul |
부산국제영화제
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| Hanja |
釜山國際映畫祭
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| Revised Romanization | Busan-Gukje-Yeonghwaje |
| McCune–Reischauer | Pusan-Kukche-Yŏnghwaje |
The Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) is a huge movie event held every year in Busan, South Korea. It is one of the most important film festivals in all of Asia. The first festival took place in September 1996 and was the very first international film festival in Korea's history.
BIFF is famous for showing new movies and giving a spotlight to directors who are just starting their careers. It focuses especially on filmmakers from Asian countries. The festival is also very popular with young people. It works hard to find and support young talent in the movie world.
In 1999, the festival started a program to help new directors find money to make their movies. In 2011, BIFF moved into a cool, new building called the Busan Cinema Center, which is now its permanent home.
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A Festival Through the Years
The Busan International Film Festival started in 1996. The goal was to introduce new films and directors from Asia to the world. The very first festival showed 173 films from 31 different countries. It was a huge success, with over 184,000 people attending!
Over the years, the festival grew bigger and more famous. It became a key place for discovering talented Asian filmmakers. Each year, it shows hundreds of movies from all over the globe.
A big moment for the festival was in 2011. It moved to the Busan Cinema Center, a futuristic building designed just for the festival. This amazing venue has theaters, offices, and outdoor spaces for showing movies.
The festival has faced challenges, like in 2020 when events had to be smaller. But it has continued to celebrate movies and connect filmmakers with audiences. Starting in 2025, the festival introduced a new main competition for Asian films, showing its commitment to supporting cinema from the region.
What You Can See at BIFF
The festival organizes its movies into different sections. This helps people choose what they want to watch.
- Gala Presentation: This section shows brand-new movies from famous and respected directors.
- Icons: Here, you can see the latest films from some of the most important filmmakers working today.
- A Window on Asian Cinema: This is a showcase of new and important movies made by Asian directors.
- Korean Cinema Today: This part is all about Korean movies. It shows everything from big premieres to films by new, creative directors.
- World Cinema: This section presents new movies from around the world, showing the latest trends in filmmaking.
- Wide Angle: If you like short films, documentaries, or animations, this is the section for you.
- Open Cinema: This is a fun, outdoor screening. Movies are shown on a giant screen, and they are often popular with a wide audience.
- Midnight Passion: For fans of scary or exciting movies, this section shows horror and thriller films late at night.
- On Screen: This section shows episodes from new and popular TV drama series on the big screen.
Helping Filmmakers Grow
BIFF does more than just show movies. It also runs special programs to help filmmakers create new work.
- Asian Contents & Film Market (ACFM): This is like a big marketplace for the film industry. People come here to buy, sell, and plan new movie projects.
- Asian Cinema Fund: This program gives money to filmmakers to help them make their movies. It supports them with writing scripts, finishing their films, and making documentaries.
- BIFF Asian Film Academy (BAFA): This is a school for young, talented filmmakers from Asia. They get to learn from experienced directors and work together on new projects.
Major Awards at the Festival
BIFF gives out many awards to celebrate great filmmaking. Here are some of the most important ones.
The Asian Filmmaker of the Year
This special award is given to a person who has made a big impact on Asian cinema. Past winners include famous directors like Hou Hsiao-hsien from Taiwan and Hirokazu Kore-eda from Japan. The famous Hong Kong actor Tony Leung won in 2022.
New Currents Award
This is a competition for new Asian directors. It is for their first or second feature film. Two winning films are chosen, and each receives a prize of $30,000. This award helps to discover the next generation of great Asian filmmakers.
Kim Jiseok Award
This award was created in 2017 to honor the memory of Kim Jiseok, who worked hard to support Asian cinema. It is given to more established Asian directors. Two films are chosen, and each wins $10,000.
Actor & Actress of the Year
This award shines a spotlight on new acting talent in Korean independent films. A famous Korean actor and actress choose the winners. Past winners include Choi Woo-shik (from the movie Parasite) and Jeon Yeo-been.
Audience Awards
Several awards are decided by the people who attend the festival. The audience gets to vote for their favorite films in different sections. This shows which movies are the most popular with viewers.
Images for kids
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The entrance to the festival in 2016.
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The opening ceremony in 2023 is a glamorous event.
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A Gala Presentation for the film Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps in 2010.
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The cast and crew of the Indian films Raavan and Raavanan at a Gala Presentation in 2010.
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The Asian Film Market is where movie business deals happen.
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A meeting at the Pusan Promotion Plan (now the Asian Project Market), where new film ideas are shared.
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Director Tsai Ming-liang receiving the Asian Filmmaker of the Year award in 2010.
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Busan Cinema Center, the BIFF's headquarters
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Busan Cinema Center
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2006 BIFF Pavilion in Haeundae Beach
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The Opening Film Under the Hawthorn Tree by the dir. Zhang Yimou, 2010
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Handprinting, Abbas Kiarostami Juliette Binoche, 2010
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Handprinting, Willem Dafoe, 2010
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Master Class, Carlos Saura, 2010
See also
In Spanish: Festival Internacional de Cine de Busan para niños
- List of film festivals in South Korea
- Cinema of Korea
- Culture of South Korea
