28th Busan International Film Festival

The 28th Busan International Film Festival (Korean: 제28회 부산국제영화제) opened on October 4 at the Busan Cinema Center in Busan, South Korea. Song Kang-ho of Parasite fame welcomed filmmakers as host of the festival, while Park Eun-bin acted as the moderator of the ceremony, which was broadcast live on YouTube channel and Naver TV. Opening with South Korean film Because I Hate Korea by Jang Kun-jae, 269 films were screened, including 209 officially invited films from 69 countries and 60 community beef screenings. Jung Sung-il, South Korean film critic, director and screenwriter served as chairman of the jury for its main competition section.
BIFF this year opened special program, ‘Renaissance of Indonesian Cinema’ paying attention to Indonesia with 7 feature films and 5 short films, including a series to be released on Netflix. Chow Yun-fat, a Hong Kong star, received the Asian Filmmaker of the Year award, whereas Yoon Jeong-hee posthumously received the Korean Film Achievement Award.
BIFF closed on October 13 with Go Min-si and Hong Kyung acting as master of ceremonies, and the Chinese film industry satire The Movie Emperor by Ning Hao, screened as closing film.
The main award of the festival New Currents Award was given to Bangladeshi film The Wrestler by Iqbal H. Chowdhary, which follows an eccentric old fisherman who trains rigorously in a traditional form of wrestling; and Japanese film September 1923 by Tatsuya Mori, a historical feature marking 100 years of Great Kanto earthquake, which dramatises a massacre that followed the natural disaster.
The film registration for the festival began in March 2023 with the closing date for submission fixed for July 19, 2023.
The poster for 28th edition of the festival was unveiled on August 15, 2023. Based on Shin Bong-cheol's To My Star, director Choi Soon-dae, who has been working as an art director since the 2nd Busan International Film Festival planned and designed it. The poster has a motif derived from the harmonious interaction of colorful colors and forms of light passing through a rotating prism. Which brings to mind light cast on a screen through a projector lens, and the beautifully blended light on a black background brings to mind a variety of films. It also symbolizes the Busan International Film Festival, full of dazzling light energy.
The line-up for Korean Cinema Today – Special Premiere and On Screen strands was unveiled on August 24. In the On Screen section, this year six world premieres – five from Korea and one from Indonesia are included. It also includes I Am a Running Mate, which marks the directorial debut of Han Jin-won, the co-writer for Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite. The Korean Cinema Today – Special Premiere section, this year includes two Netflix's films Believer 2, the sequel to Believer (2018), by Baek Jong-yul and Ballerina by Lee Chung-hyun. On August 30, the line-up of ten films each for New Currents competition along with Jiseok section were unveiled. New Currents is a section for first and second films by up-and-coming Asian filmmakers, whereas Jiseok section selects films from Asian directors with more than three feature films to their credit and honours two such directors with Jiseok awards. On September 1, 10 films for the section 'Korean Cinema Today - Vision Section' were announced. This year's selection has profound themes of life, agony, family affection, and personal introspection. On September 5, BIFF unveiled full line-up for its 2023 edition and announced Chow Yun-fat the winner of Asian Filmmaker of the Year award. The opening film of the festival was Jang Kun-jae’s Because I Hate Korea and closing film Ning Hao’s Chinese film industry satire The Movie Emperor.
The festival has started a new award for new Asian directors and independent film creators with LG Electronics, the LG OLED New Currents Award and the LG OLED Vision Award starting this year. These awards, will go to new directors who lead Asian films and Korean independent films with outstanding originality and vision, and receive a prize of ₩30 million and a plaque.
The eve event to wish the success of the festival was held on October 3, at the outdoor stage of BIFF Square in Jung-gu. It was attended by Busan Metropolitan City, Busan Jung-gu Office, and key guests of the festival. The event hosted by film actors Kim Hye-na [ko] and Lee Dong-gyu, had a celebratory performance by legendary diva Jung Hoon-hee [ko], and singer-songwriter Juniel.
Opening ceremony of the festival was held at Busan Cinema Center Outdoor Theater on October 4. It was broadcast live on the official YouTube channel of the festival and Naver TV.
Song Kang-ho of Parasite fame welcomed the guests at the opening ceremony, while Park Eun-bin acted as moderator.
Busan Mayor Park Hyeong-jun, the Filmmaker of the Year awardee Hong Kong actor Chow Yun-fat, Japanese actress and model Suzu Hirose, Rie Miyazawa, Hana Sugisaki, Aina the End and Chinese star Fan Bingbing and South Korean actresses Jin Seo-yeon, Youn Yuh-jung, Im Soo-jung, Krystal Jung and Jeon So-nee attended the ceremony among others. The Korean Film Achievement Award went to the late actor Yoon Jeong-hee, and the Asian Film Actor Award went to Hong Kong actor Chow Yun-fat. The screening of films opened with the South Korean film Because I Hate Korea by Jang Kun-jae.
Closing ceremony was held at Busan Cinema Center Outdoor Theater on October 13, with Go Min-si and Hong Kyung acting as master of ceremonies. After the red carpet event, awards were announced, including the New Currents Award, Ji Seok Award, and Actor of the Year Awards. 142,432 people attended the film festival since the opening day with 82% audience share. 269 films from 70 countries were screened in 4 theaters and 25 screens, whereas 12 open talks, 11 outdoor stage greetings, 4 Actors House, 1 master class, 2 special talks, and 252 guest meetings were held during the 10 days of the festival. The festival closed with the screening of Chinese film industry satire The Movie Emperor by Ning Hao.
Actors House will be held from October 5 to 7 at KNN Theater, 1st Basement Floor, KNN Tower.
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The festival has following sections:
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The selected titles are eligible for multiple awards, including the New Currents Award, the FIPRESCI Award, the NETPAC Award, and the KB New Currents Audience Award.
This section selected films from Asian directors with a portfolio of more than three feature films, and from the line-up of ten films, two were honored with Jiseok awards.
This year 10 films were showcased as world premiere.
A competition among non-Asian filmmakers’ first or second features that take an innovative and original approach to cinema. The winner is decided by the audience and awarded the Flash Forward Award.
Dear Jinri capturing the late K-pop star Sulli’s final interview is included in this year's selection.
A collection of new and internationally acclaimed films, offering an ideal mix of the popular with the artistic are screened at the hallmark outdoor theater.
A collection of thrillers, horror and action films.
In this section 5 Korean and 1 Indonesian works will be released for the first time in the world.
The festival screened the works of notable female directors Mouly Surya and Kamila Andini, horror director Joko Anwar, directors Edwin and Yosep Anggi Noen and the works of noteworthy new directors.
Steven Yeun, John Cho, director Lee Isaac Chung and director Justin Chon attended the festival.
This year to commemorate the late actor Yoon Jeong-hee, who died in 2023, a special screening of her masterpieces were held. In addition, Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus, which contains performance scenes of the late Ryuichi Sakamoto, who died in March, were also screened.
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