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The 31st Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) has unveiled its Korean Cinema Today and On Screen selections, with Na Hong-Jin’s “Hope” among a nine-film lineup spanning Panorama and Special Premiere.
“Hope,” Na’s
latest feature, drew global attention ahead of release on the strength of its large-scale production and a cast including Hwang Jung-min, Zo In-sung, Hoyeon, Taylor Russell, Cameron Britton, Alicia Vikander and Michael Fassbender. The film was selected in competition at this year’s Cannes Film Festival and will screen at BIFF as part of Korean Cinema Today – Panorama, which rounds out its six-title lineup with four world premieres.
Among the Panorama selections, “The World Before” marks director Yoon Dan-bi’s return to Busan with her second feature, following a 17-year-old girl navigating unfamiliar feelings across an island summer; the film will world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival before its Asian premiere in Busan. Yoon’s 2020 debut, “Moving On,” won four prizes at BIFF in 2019, including the Netpac Award. Veteran actor Kim Hye-ja returns to the screen for the first time in nine years in “Still Shining,” the latest from director Song Il-gon, whose credits include “Spider Forest” (2004), “The Magicians” (2006) and BIFF’s 2011 Opening Film “Always.” The Panorama slate also includes Hong Sung-min’s directorial debut “Sinner,” starring Jung Sung-il and Park Ji-hyun; Lee Yong-jae’s directorial debut “Ugly Duckling Ms. Maeng,” pairing Lee Sun-bin with veteran actor You Chea-myung; and Kim Joung-hoon’s ensemble mystery “Final Interview,” led by Cho Yi-hyun, Kim Jae-won, Shin Seung-ho, Kang You-seok, Kwak Dong-yeon and Bae Gang-hee.
BIFF’s Korean Cinema Today – Special Premiere section, dedicated to prominent contemporary Korean commercial films, will feature three world premieres. “Cattle Run,” from first-time feature director Kim Ji-hyun, teams Ryu Seung-ryong and Park Hae-jun as estranged brothers who unite to protect a newborn calf during a village crisis. “Sapiens,” the feature debut of Lee Hu-bin, casts Jung Sung-il and You Chea-myung as a suspect and attorney working through conflicting testimony in a kidnapping case. “The Sorry Generation,” from Kim Sung-yoon, whose “Fragment” won the CGV Award and the Chorokbaem Media Award at BIFF in 2024, follows a comic family clash between an exorcism and an ancestral spirit, led by Jung Jae-young and Lee Yi-kyung.
BIFF’s On Screen section, launched in 2021 to give audiences an early theatrical look at the year’s most anticipated drama series, will present three selections this year, each screening a portion of its episode order. Netflix’s “Dead-End Job,” directed by Kim Da-min, whose “FAQ” won the Aurora Media Award at BIFF in 2023, stars Lee Jae-wook, Ko Min-si, Kim Min-ha and Lee Hee-jun in a mystery centered on a suspicious part-time job; four of its eight episodes will screen. Disney+’s “The Remarried Empress,” an adaptation already drawing attention for its cast, brings Shin Mina, Ju Jihoon, Lee Jongsuk and Lee Seyoung to a romantic fantasy directed by Cho Suwon, known for “I Can Hear Your Voice” (2013) and “Still 17” (2018); three of its 10 episodes will screen. Netflix’s “Blue Road,” from Han Jun-hee, whose “Coin Locker Girl” played Cannes’ Critics’ Week in 2015 and whose series “D.P.” won Best Drama at the 2022 Baeksang Arts Awards, stars Son Suk-ku, Nagayama Eita and Kim Shin-rok in a cross-border murder mystery, with three of its eight episodes screening.
The 31st Busan International Film Festival will run Oct. 6-15, in and around the Busan Cinema Center, with the 21st Asian Contents & Film Market held Oct. 10-13.
ON SCREEN SELECTION
“Blue Road” – Han Jun-hee – Netflix – World Premiere
“Dead-End Job” – Kim Da-min – Netflix – World Premiere
“The Remarried Empress” – Cho Suwon – Disney+ – World Premiere
KOREAN CINEMA TODAY – SPECIAL PREMIERE SELECTION
“Cattle Run” – Kim Ji-hyun – Lotte Entertainment – World Premiere
“Sapiens” – Lee Hu-bin – Highline Company Co., Ltd. / The Title Co., Ltd. – World Premiere
“The Sorry Generation” – Kim Sung-yoon – World Premiere
KOREAN CINEMA TODAY – PANORAMA SELECTION
“Final Interview” – Kim Joung-hoon – Next Entertainment World Co., Ltd. – World Premiere
“Hope” – Na Hong-Jin – Plus M Entertainment
“Sinner” – Hong Sung-min – World Premiere
“Still Shining” – Song Il-gon – Plus M Entertainment – World Premiere
“Ugly Duckling Ms. Maeng” – Lee Yong-jae – Barunson E&A – World Premiere
“The World Before” – Yoon Dan-bi – Atnine Film Co., Ltd. – Asian Premiere
