Busan International Film Festival 2023: Dates, selections, segments—everything to know
What's the story
Film enthusiasts, assemble!
On Sunday, the excitement for the upcoming Busan International Film Festival reached a crescendo with the official announcement that Lee Je-hoon (Taxi Driver) and The King's Affection fame Park Eun-bin will host its grand opening ceremony.
As cinephiles eagerly anticipate this cinematic extravaganza, we gather the film festival's key dates, selections, and all the vital information.
Dates
Here's when 28th BIFF will take place
The 28th edition of the BIFF is all set to captivate audiences across 10 days, running from October 4 to 13.
The festival will unfold at the Busan Cinema Center in Busan, South Korea.
Recognized as one of the globe's most prestigious film festivals, this annual celebration is reportedly held for 10 days from the first Thursday of October.
Twitter Post
Take a look at the announcement post here
제28회 부산국제영화제 개막식 사회자로 배우 이제훈과 박은빈이 확정되었습니다! pic.twitter.com/ij90mJYZ0t
— 부산국제영화제 BIFF (@busanfilmfest) August 27, 2023
Official selection #1
Official selections for 'Korean Cinema Today—Special Premiere'
On Thursday, BIFF revealed the lineup for two notable sections of the festival: Korean Cinema Today - Special Premiere and On Screen.
The Korean Cinema Today segment—introduced last year—showcases three prominent upcoming Korean commercial films.
This year, this section will feature Baik's Believer 2, Lee Chung-hyun's Ballerina, and Hopeless—which earned official selection status for Un Certain Regard at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival.
Official selection #2
6 films selected to premiere in 'On Screen' segment
The On Screen segment is the official OTT section in BIFF.
This year, the segment boasts a lineup of five Korean films and one Indonesian film.
This list includes the Waave original series The Deal; I Am A Running Mate by Han Jin-won (a debutant director who secured Best Original Screenplay Academy Award for Parasite); Vigilante; Cigarette Girl; A Bloody Lucky Day; and LTNS.
India selection
Rima Das's 'Malati, My Love' in BIFF lineup
Indian filmmaker Rima Das has clinched a spot in the prestigious BIFF Asian Project Market.
Among the selected 30 films, Das's creation, Malati, My Love, will share the limelight alongside the works of Japan's Koji Fukada and Indonesia's Makbul Mubarak.
Notably, one of Das's earlier works—Village Rockstars—premiered at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival and subsequently became India's official Oscar submission in 2019.