New Currents Award
New Currents Award is given to the two best feature films selected from the first or second feature of new Asian directors introduced in the New Currents section (a competitive section of BIFF for Asian films). A grand prize of USD 30,000 is awarded to each film. The jury consists of world-renowned film experts who will choose winners to discover and encourage the hidden jewels of Asian cinema.
Kim Jiseok Award
It is to remember and honor the late Kim Ji-seok who passed away after devoting his whole life to discovering young Asian directors and supporting the growth of Asian cinema. A grand of prize of USD 10,000 is awarded to two films.
BIFF Mecenat Award
BIFF Mecenat Award is granted to the best documentary from Korea and Asia in Wide Angle competitive section. The winner will be granted KRW 10,000,000(approx. USD 10,000) with the purpose of assisting their next production.
Sonje Award
Sonje Award is given to the best Korean and Asian short films in the Wide Angle section, to assist them in producing next project by providing KRW 10,000,000(approx. USD 10,000) to each director.
Actor & Actress of the Year Award
Actor & Actress of the Year is the award to focus on first-time actors in the independent Korean films among the New Currents and Korean Cinema Today Vision. The top-class Korean actor and actress select one actor and one actress with outstanding performance. The winners will be awarded at the closing ceremony with cash prize of 5,000,000 KRW (approx. 5,000 USD) each.
FIPRESCI Award
This award is given to the year’s best Korean film from either New Currents or Korean Cinema Today_Vision section.
NETPAC Award
This award is given to the year’s best Korean film from either New Currents or Korean Cinema Today_Vision section. NETPAC is an international organization founded in 1990 devoted to the expansion of Asian film distribution and screening
KNN Award
This award is given to the film that gained most acclaim from festival audiences, among the films introduced in the New Currents section. The award is granted by the KNN foundation and its winner is awarded 20,000 USD.
Busan Bank Award
This award is given to the film that is most highly rated by festival audiences from Flash Forward section. A total of USD 20,000 is granted by the BNK Busan Bank. USD 10,000 is awarded to the director and the other half is used to support the distribution of the film in Korea.
KTH Award
KTH Award is designed to support Korean independent films. Two winners will be selected among Korean Cinema Today_Vision and New Currents sections and granted 10 million KRW (approx. 10,000 USD).
KBS Independent Film Award
KBS Independent Film Award is given to support Korean independent films. One Korean film will be selected among Korean Cinema Today_Vision and New Currents sections to receive 10 million KRW (approx. 10,000 USD).
CGV Arthouse Award
This award was newly created in 2011 in collaboration with CJ CGV Arthouse to shed new light on the Korean Cinema Today Vision section. The award aims to provide independent films, indie films, new films, and low budget films with distribution and screening opportunities.
DGK Award
DGK((Directors Guild of Korea) Award goes two Korean films from Korean Cinema Today-Vision section. Each winner will be granted 5 million KRW (approx. 5,000 USD).
CGK&SamyangXEEN Award
CGK&SamyangXEEN Award, sponsored by Cinematographers Guild of Korea and Samyang Optics, is given to one Korean film from either New Currents or Korean Cinema Today_Vision section. The winner's cinematographer will be granted 5 million KRW (approx. 5,000 USD).
Citizen critics’ Award
Citizen critics from the Busan Cinematheque choose the best film from those screened in Korean Cinema Today_Vision section and its director is granted the award. The winner is awarded KRW 10,000,000(approx. USD 10,000) for supporting the director’s next production.
Busan Cinephile Award
This award is given to the best non-Asia documentary film presented in the Wide Angle documentary showcase. The winner is awarded KRW5,000,000 (approx. USD5,000). The jury consists of college students, including numerous students from the cinema-related departments of six universities in Busan region, select the winner.
The Asian Filmmaker of the Year
This award is granted to the Asian filmmaker who has made the most significant contribution to the advancement of Asian film industry and culture throughout the year.
KORE-EDA Hirokazu
Director | Japan
Kore-eda Hirozaku was born in Tokyo, Japan. After graduating from Waseda University where he studied literature, Kore-eda had intended on a career as an author before going into documentary television and later filmmaking. His filmography as director includes his directorial debut Maborosi (1995), Afterlife (1998), Distance (2001), Nobody Knows (2004), Hana (2006), Still Walking (2008), Air Doll (2009), I wish (2011), Like Father, Like Son (2013), Our Little Sister (2015), After the Storm (2016), The Third Murder (2017), and Shoplifters (2018). Kore-eda’s film Shoplifters, a stunning masterpiece drama about family bonds, won the Palme d'Or – the highest prize – at the 71st Cannes Film Festival in 2018. Kore-eda’s new film The Truth (2019), his first feature shot outside Japan with Catherine Deneuve, Juliette Binoche and Ethan Hawke, has been selected to open the Official Competition of the 76th Venice Film Festival, drawing attention from cinephiles and moviegoers all around world.
Korean Cinema Award
The Korean Cinema Award is presented to cineastes who have made notable contributions to the globalization of Korean cinema.
BAE Yongjae
President and Co-founder of Festival du Film Coréen à Paris | Korea
After working for the Culture and PR department at Daewoo Group in the 1990s, he went to France to study film. He studied communication at Université Sorbonne Nouvelle – Paris 3 and has worked as the president of Festival du Film Coréen à Paris since its first edition in 2006. The festival has experienced periodic difficulties; however, he has always strived for the growth of the festival. Thanks to his endless efforts, the Festival du Film Coréen à Paris was awarded the Prix Culturel France-Corée in 2015 for promoting Korean culture in France.
YOO Dongsuk
Former Festival Director of Festival du Film Coréen à Paris | Korea
After studying aesthetics at Seoul National University, Yoo Dongsuk left to France and graduated from Université Sorbonne Nouvelle – Paris 3 with bachelors and master in cinema. He started working for Festival du Film Coréen à Paris as a Deputy Executive Officer for its first edition in 2006. After taking the positions of Program Director and Artistic Director in 2009 and 2010 respectively, he monitored and directed the festival as a Festival Director until 2017. Returning to Korea in 2018, he is now in charge of directing various artistic content as a Planning Director at the cultural complex ‘The Forest’ in Sanggye-dong, Seoul.