Busan International Film Festival

PRESS SERVICE

[BIFF 2026] The Kinder Programmer - KANG Sowon

2026. 09. 14 11:35

※ Click on each image to discover more!

This year’s lineup features an extraordinary selection of films about artists. Not intended at all, just a total coincidence. One film led to another, and before I knew it, they had naturally come together into this lineup. Looking into the eyes of these filmmakers, sculptors, indie musicians, and photographers, I felt as if a subtle wave stirred somewhere deep in my heart.

On the Road with Abbas Kiarostami

Seifollah SAMADIAN

A road movie capturing a 25-year journey alongside Abbas Kiarostami. Everywhere he goes,

people welcome him warmly:

"My neighbors told me Mr. Kiarostami is here. Come by our place for a cup of tea, just ten minutes!"

Kim Yun Shin Punches In

LIM Sunae

Meet Kim Yun Shin, a 92-year-old sculptor who still picks up her chainsaw. Director Lim Sunae reflects the weight of age and life with gentleness and sincerity. A beautiful collaboration between two female artists.

A Life of an Artist: Kwon Jinkyu

MIN Hwanki

"Spit on the ordinary, respect the fool,

express gratitude to genius."

The dramatic life of modern sculptor Kwon Jinkyu,

vividly recollected through archival footage, interviews, and reenactments.

Annyeong, Stellar

AHN Jee-hwan

Marking its 20th anniversary, Indie band GOONAM announces their breakup. The film follows their final ‘Goodbye tour’. Not all goodbyes have to be sad. Thank you for all the good times, farewell my friends!

The Best Days

KIM Byoungsoo

Yakuza, the homeless, elderly people on the streets, and street vendors—photographer Yang Seungwoo has long turned his lens on people living at society’s margins. Behind his somewhat intimidating appearance is a gentle soul, captured here in his best days.

First and second feature documentaries by women directors particularly stand out in this year’s Wide Angle lineup. Facing one's trauma through filmmaking requires great courage, and for these directors, cinema becomes a way of healing. I warmly invite you to tune into the voices of these female directors, mothers, teenage girls, and elders.

Recovery

IM Yeonjeong

An ‘introverted action film’ and a self-documentary

by a director who dreams of making a female-led

action feature.

"Now, I can look at myself in the mirror. When I feel oppressed, I know how to break free."

Soundweave

YOON Juyoung

"I want to understand my mother."

Reclaiming lost childhood memories, this debut feature is a bold, uncompromising journey of self-discovery and healing by a promising female director.

Dreams of the Wild Oaks

Marjan KHOSRAVI

Samaneh, a 13-year-old Bakhtiari girl, faces an arranged marriage—her only escape is to capture seven rare golden-winged partridges. A powerful debut feature capturing a young girl's yearning for freedom.

Can I Talk to You?

YI Seungjun

“Juvie wasn’t all bad. I felt like I was bound to end up there at least once in my life."

A raw and brutal coming-of-age story following teenage girls navigating life across streets, shelters,

and reform schools.

Colors of White Rock

Khoroldorj CHOIJOOVANCHIG

Maikhuu, a female truck driver, hauls coal across the Gobi Desert. Driving through a vast, desolate landscape straight out of a dystopian sci-fi film, she pushes

forward for a better future for her three daughters.

Revolving Lanterns

MATSUI Itaru

A mountain village in Fukushima now faces extinction after decades of depopulation. Yet, the quiet

rhythm of daily work and shared meals exists.

"Our happiness lies in living slowly."

For today’s documentary filmmakers, family often seems to be a natural starting point. Many of these family dramas grow out of the directors’ own lives. We may think that most families are much the same, but a closer look reveals that every family has a unique history of its own. A grandmother who was a shaman, a grandfather obsessed with collecting, a neurodivergent sister, a child adopted into a Danish family, and a herder hoping to change the future of the grasslands through social media—each belongs to a remarkable family, yet ultimately they are no different from us.

A Woman Dancing on the Waves

CHOI Se-dam

"To them, their grandmother was God Herself,

not merely a messenger."

Director Choi’s grandmother was once a celebrated shaman in Chungju, but now she struggles with dementia.

Our Wish, Our Colors

LEE Yeojin

"Yeojin, come spend the summer with us in Busan.

If you stay away from your grandparents' house too long, you’ll miss out on something special."

Prompted by a letter from her grandfather, Director

Lee visits her grandparents' home and begins documenting her grandfather's strange,

enchanting obsession with collecting things.

AGAAR

YANG Bo

A young herder in the remote grasslands of Inner Mongolia dreams of owning a BMW. With a

smartphone and the internet, can he truly transform

the future of his grasslands?

Baby Jackfruit Baby Guava

NONG Nhat Quang

A bittersweet, quirky family drama about a tiger mom, her neurodivergent daughter, and her gay filmmaker son.

Homesick

Taekyung Tanja Inwol SØRENSEN

"Do you remember when I first became part of your family?"

Adopted into a Danish family as a two-month-old, director Taekyung Tanja Wol Sørensen delivers a poignant family drama.

The true power of documentary cinema lies in its ability to connect us to the wider world. While we hope these connections guide us toward a better future, reality often confronts us with tragic truths—the war in Yemen, the Maguindanao Massacre in the Philippines, conflicts in Syria and Afghanistan, and the ongoing struggles in Iran. By capturing these global events, often delivered as mere news headlines, through very personal lenses, these films allow us to see the world with newfound depth and empathy.

ACROSS: Anatomy of the Forgotten War

KIM Ji

Connecting Berlin, Sardinia, and Jeju, this film offers a powerful wake-up call regarding modern warfare across continents. In both scale and theme, it stands as a truly groundbreaking Korean documentary.

“Weapons are what make war.”

58th

Carl Joseph PAPA

A haunting look at one of the darkest chapters in Philippine history: the story of the 58th victim of the Maguindanao Massacre, whose body has yet to be found. The daughter’s long search for her father is brought to life through rotoscoping, blending animation with archival footage.

Birds of War

Janay BOULOS, Abd ALKADER HABAK

A love story following Lebanese BBC reporter Janay and Syrian activist-cameraman Abd. Spanning 13 years, this moving film chronicles the enduring bond and struggles of a couple brought together by war.