Busan International Film Festival has revealed the 14 titles for its first-ever Competition section, including 10 world premieres from across Asi
Busan International Film Festival has revealed the 14 titles for its first-ever Competition section, including 10 world premieres from across Asia.
The newly launched strand will comprise films from Korea, Japan, China, Taiwan, Iran, Tajikistan and Sri Lanka. Five of the titles are directorial debuts.
Scroll down for full Competition lineup
Titles include Gloaming In Luomu, the latest from Korean-Chinese auteur Zhang Lu, who played in Competition at the Berlinale in 2023 The Shadowless Tower and at Locarno in 2014 with Gyeongju, and won Cannes’ ACID award and BIFF’s New Currents award with Grain In Ear in 2005.
Spying Stars marks the first feature in seven years from Sri Lanka’s Vimukthi Jayasundara, who won Cannes’ Golden Camera with The Forsaken Land in 2005, was selected for Directors’ Fortnight in 2011 with Mushrooms and has previously played in competition at Venice with Ahasin Wetei and Locarno with Dark In The White Light.
Romantic drama Seven O’Clock Breakfast Club For The Brokenhearted marks the third feature from South Korea’s Lim Sun-ae after An Old Lady, which won BIFF’s KNN award in 2019, and Ms. Apocalypse, which played the festival in 2023.
Baka’s Identity is from Japan’s Koto Nagata, former assistant director to acclaimed auteur Iwai Shunji, and stars Kitamura Takumi of 2017 box office hit Let Me Eat Your Pancreas. From Iran comes Without Permission by Hassan Nazer, whose 2022 film Winners was the UK’s entry to the Oscars after winning top awards at the BAFTAs, BIFAs, Dinard, Edinburgh and Raindance.
The feature directorial debuts set to world premiere at BIFF include Another Birth from emerging Tajik director Isabelle Kalandar; En Route To by Yoo Jaein and Funky Freaky Freaks by Han Chang-lok, both from South Korea; and Japan’s Leave The Cat Alone by Daisuke Shigaya.
Further titles include Two Seasons, Two Strangers by Japan’s Sho Miyake, the recent winner of Locarno’s Golden Leopard; Resurrection by China’s Bi Gan, which scooped the jury special prize at Cannes; Girl by Taiwan’s Shu Qi, which will first screen at Venice and Toronto; and Left-Handed Girl by Taiwan’s Tsou Shih-Ching, which premiered in Cannes’ Critics’ Week and is produced by Oscar-winning Anora director Sean Baker.
They will compete for the Busan Awards in five categories: best film, best director, special jury prize, best actor and artistic contribution. The winners will receive a trophy created by acclaimed Thai filmmaker and artist Apichatpong Weerasethakul.
The landmark 30th edition of BIFF is set to run from September 17-26 in the South Korean port city and will include 241 films from 64 countries – up by 17 titles from 63 countries in 2024.
As previously announced, Park Chan-wook’s No Other Choice will open the festival after receiving its world premiere in competition at Venice. Opening night will also see Iranian auteur Jafar Panahi receive the Asian Filmmaker of the Year award.
Further honours will be presented to director Chung Jiyong, who will receive the Korean Cinema Award; Asian filmmaker an actor Sylvia Chang, who will be given the Camellia Award; and Italian filmmaker Marco Bellocchio, who will receive the BIFF Cinema Master Honorary Award.
BIFF will see a number of changes this year under up-to-date festival director Jung Hanseok. These include expanding its Korean focussed Vision strand to works from across Asia, with multiple awards to be presented withing the section.
The Icons section, showcasing the latest features from world-renowned filmmakers, will grow from 17 titles in 2024 to 33 this year. The selection includes Cannes award-winner The Secret Agent by Kleber Mendonca Filho, Yorgos Lanthimos’s Bugonia and Kogonada’s A Big Bold Beautiful Journey, starring Colin Farrell and Margot Robbie.
Industry platform the Asian Contents and Film Market (ACFM) will run parallel to the festival from September 20-23.
BIFF 2025 Competition
Another Birth (Taj-US-Qatar)
Dir. Isabelle Kalandar
Baka’s Identity (Japan)
Dir. Koto Nagata
By Another Name (S Kor)
Dir. Lee Jeahan
En Route To (S Kor)
Dir. Yoo Jaein
Funky Freaky Freaks (S Kor)
Dir. Han Chang-lok
Girl (Tai)
Dir. Shu Qi
Gloaming In Luomu (China)
Dir. Zhang Lu
Leave The Cat Alone (Japan)
Dir. Daisuke Shigaya
Left-Handed Girl (Tai-Fr-US-UK)
Dir. Tsou Shih-Ching
Resurrection (China-Fr)
Dir. Bi Gan
Seven O’Clock Breakfast Club For The Brokenhearted (S Kor)
Dir. Lim Sun-ae
Spying Stars (Fr-Sri-India)
Dir. Vimukthi Jayasundara
Two Seasons, Two Strangers (Japan)
Dir. Sho Miyake
Without Permission (Iran-UK)
Dir. Hassan Nazer
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