The 31st Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) has taken another major step forward with its growing international stature. This year, BIFF was officially recognized by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF) as an “A-list festival,” joining the ranks of major international film festivals including Cannes, Berlin, and Venice. Building on this recognition, the winner of the Busan Award – Best Film, the top prize in BIFF’s Competition, now qualifies for submission to the Academy Award for International Feature Film. BIFF is now one of only six qualifying festivals designated by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), alongside Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Sundance, and Toronto.

Reaffirming its commitment to global solidarity within the film community, this coming September, the Festival will participate in the first ‘Lumière Summit,’ co-hosted by South Korea and France, joining film and audiovisual industry leaders from around the world in discussions on the future of cinema. Having spent the past three decades discovering Asian cinema and connecting it with the world, BIFF is now expanding its role beyond that of an internationally recognized film festival to become a global platform helping shape the future of cinema..

The 31st BIFF presents a total of 246 official selections—an increase of 6 titles from the previous edition, marking the festival’s largest lineup since 2019. The festival will also open one day earlier than in previous years, on Tuesday, October 6, giving audiences greater flexibility in planning their visits and screenings during the busy first week. During the festival’s busiest period from Thursday through Sunday, daily screenings will expand from the usual four slots to five, creating more opportunities for audiences to catch the festival’s most talked-about titles. With its first-ever Tuesday opening and expanded screening schedule, BIFF aims to offer audiences greater flexibility and a wider range of films to enjoy..

Entering its second year since being restructured last year, the Vision section offers a broader look at the current landscape and new possibilities of Asian independent cinema. Vision – Korea brings together emerging talents and established filmmakers, striking a dynamic balance across generations. The lineup includes the animated feature debuts of Kim Si-jin and Kim Hyomi; directors such as Shin Dongmin, Park Kun-young, and Jeong Jihye, who are presenting their films at BIFF for the first time; and Sohn Hyun-lok, Shin Sun and Oh Sehyeon, who return to Busan with new films following their previous appearances at the festival. Meanwhile, the lineup also highlights works by established directors such as Kim Miyoung, Park Hong-min, Park Songyeol, and Jang Woojin, who have steadily developed distinctive cinematic worlds of their own.

Vision - Asia likewise brings together both new faces and familiar names. The selected films span a broad range of Asian countries and regions, from Hong Kong, China and Japan to the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, India, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, and Iran, reflecting an increasingly diverse cinematic landscape. Notably, Mongolian director Sakhya Byamba, who won the New Currents Award at BIFF in 2013 for Remote Control, returns to Busan with a new film, while established filmmakers such as Vietnam’s Nguyễn Hoàng điệp will also present their latest works. The lineup also introduces filmmakers who have worked across short filmmaking, cinematography, acting, advertising, music videos and other fields before moving into feature filmmaking, offering audiences the chance to discover new voices to watch in Asian cinema.

Bringing together filmmakers from different generations and at different stages of their careers across Korea and Asia, the Vision section goes beyond discovering emerging directors to offer one of the most vivid windows onto the diverse currents and possibilities of Asian independent cinema today.

BIFF’s signature section, Icons—dedicated to introducing the latest works by the world’s leading auteurs—expanded its selection to 33 films last year. This year, the section returns larger than ever, breaking its own record with 35 films. The lineup features 15 titles from this year’s Cannes Film Festival alone. Audiences will have the opportunity to see major award winners, including Cristian Mungiu's Palme d’Or-winning Fjord; Andrey Zvyagintsev’s Grand Prix-winningMinotaur; and Paweł Pawlikowski’s Best Director-winning Fatherland. Also featured from Cannes are Hamaguchi Ryusuke’s Best Actress-winning All of a Sudden; Pedro Almodóvar’s Bitter Christmas; James Gray’s Paper Tiger; and Ira Sachs’s The Man I Love. Other highlights for Korean audiences include İlker Çatak’s Yellow Letters, winner of the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival; Angela Schanelec’s My Wife Cries; Radu Jude’s The Diary of a Chambermaid; Bruno Dumont’s Red Rocks; Werner Herzog’s Bucking Fastard; Nanni Moretti’s It Will Happen Tonight; Mike Leigh’sTender Loving Care; Marco Bechis’s Back to Buenos Aires; and Andrea Pallaoro’sThe Echo Chamber. American animation master Brad Bird will present Ray Gunn, featuring the voice talents of Sam Rockwell, Scarlett Johansson, and Tom Waits. Meanwhile, David Lowery’s Mother Mary is already garnering significant attention, starring Anne Hathaway as a pop star who performs live on-screen tracks penned by pop sensation Charli XCX. Highly anticipated new works from Asia’s leading filmmakers round out the section. Fukada Koji’s Nagi Notes; South Korea’s official submission for the Best International Feature Film category at the 2027 Academy Awards, Lee Chang-dong’s Possible Love; and Hong Sangsoo’s Nowhere to Lay My Eyes, winner of three awards at the Locarno International Film Festival, headline this group. Furthermore, Tsai Ming-liang's Dust, the latest chapter in his ongoing "Walker" series; and Lav Diaz’s Let Us Through, Dear Ancestors will bring their profound and unique cinematic worlds to Busan. By presenting new works from visionary directors who have built entirely distinctive cinematic worlds, this year’s Icons section is poised to further cement its prestigious status.

This year’s BIFF stands as a vibrant showcase of Korean cinema’s resurgence and renewed vitality. Opening with The Table: Day and Night, Kim Jong-kwan’s delicate and romantic new feature, the festival presents both aesthetically accomplished works from contemporary Korean cinema and mainstream commercial films with broad audience appeal across the Gala Presentation, Korean Cinema Today - Special Premiere, and Korean Cinema Today - Panorama sections. Highlights include Dora, showcasing director July Jung’s distinctive auteur sensibility; the warm-hearted family drama Cattle Run; the lively family comedy The Sorry Generation; Sapiens, which moves fluidly between crime thriller and psychological drama; Still Shining, marking actor Kim Hyeja’s return to the big screen after nine years; and Final Interview, featuring an ensemble of rising actors including Kim Jae-won and Cho Yi-hyun.

A stellar lineup of Asia’s top stars is set to light up Busan. Shu Qi, a renowned actor and director who won the Busan Award – Best Director at last year’s BIFF, will be joined by iconic Chinese actors Zhou Xun and Fan Bingbing.

Japan’s lineup is equally impressive, led by Nagasawa Masami. Emoto Tasuku, Ishibashi Shizuka, Kuroki Haru, Yokohama Ryusei, Yamazaki Kento, Matsushita Kouhei, Sawajiri Erika, Maruyama Ryuhei and Nagayama Eita will all meet their fans in Busan. Joining this lineup are Michieda Shunsuke, who has a strong following in Korea, Anzai Seira, Deguchi Natsuki, and Makita Aju. Together, this gathering of Japanese stars across generations is drawing considerable attention.

The festival also spotlights an exciting new generation of international stars. Among them are Yeh Shuhua, who is taking on a new challenge as a film actor with a strong global fan base, as well as Michelle Mao and Jin Ha, both of whom are expanding their careers across Asia and Hollywood. Meanwhile, Thai star Davika Hoorne returns to meet Busan audiences once again. Bringing together stars from across Asia and beyond, this diverse lineup promises to make this year’s BIFF richer than ever.

Under the theme “Exploring the Possibilities of Contemporary Cinema”, this year‘s Forum BIFF considers new directions for cinema amid a rapidly changing landscape. The forum offers a wide ranging look at the realities facing Korean and Asian cinema — from mid-budget films and Asian animation, two contrasting scenes at the box office, to AI, which is reshaping the very conditions of creation, along with filmmakers’ rights, film festival support policy, regional film governance, and carbon reduction across the cinema ecosystem. Through four sections and eight sessions, the forum will examine creativity in the age of AI and the development of a sustainable cinema ecosystem in collaboration with Dongseo University and the UNESCO Creative City of Film Busan. It will also work with independent groups that have come together to advocate for policy change within the film industry, exploring new frameworks for creators’ rights and film policy. Forum BIFF runs for four days, from Thursday, October 8 to Sunday, October 11, at the 11F Conference Hall of the Busan Film & Audiovisual Industry Center.

Community BIFF captures the vibrant festive spirit of BIFF through audience-driven programs, inviting festivalgoers to directly engage in program selection, public voting, and event operations while combining film with music, literature, art, and culinary culture. ‘Request Cinema,’ Community BIFF's flagship program where audiences step into the role of programmers to bring their creative ideas to the screen, received a record-breaking number of 92 submissions this year with a total of 18 programs selected following a public vote. Additionally, signature programs 'Master Talk' and 'The Cinephiles Strike Back' will also expand to feature two sessions each. Yim Soon-rye and Park Hae-il, alongside Ryoo Seungwan and Jung Doo-hong, will provide live commentary during screenings of their signature works. Furthermore, musician Chang Kiha, literary critic Shin Hyoung Cheol, planetary scientist Sim Chae-kyung, and sci-fi novelist Kim Bo-young will engage audiences in lively conversations centered on cinema.

BIFF Everywhere continues to broaden its reach beyond Busan to Yangsan and Seoul, transforming distinctive local sites into unique screening venues. This year, program will unfold across traditional markets, architectural landmarks, cultural heritage sites, and major tourist destinations through collaborations spanning the public, private, and academic sectors. Youth-led participants—including a project team supported by the Ministry of Employment and Labor at Gijang Janggwancheong, local startup team at 168 The Deck, and Counselling Psychology student group from Tongmyong University, joins the project to connect with younger audiences and bring fresh energy to BIFF Everywhere.