The 31st Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) has unveiled its seven Competition jury members, led by Jury President Zhang Yimou.

Jury President: ZHANG Yimou

 (From Left to Right) BI Gan, Moon CHOI, ISHIKAWA Kei

(From Left to Right) July JUNG, TRAN Thi Bich Ngoc, Samal Samal YESLYAMOVA

Following the successful launch of its Competition last year, BIFF has announced the seven jurors who will carry its growing momentum into the section’s second year. Director Zhang Yimou has been appointed Jury President. Having won major prizes at three of the world’s leading film festivals–the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival, the Golden Lion at the Venice International Film Festival, and the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival—Zhang has long held a prominent place in world cinema. He will lead the jury in evaluating the 13 films selected for this year’s Competition.

Joining him are Bi Gan, whose debut feature Kaili Blues (2015) and second feature Long Day’s Journey into Night (2018) earned widespread critical acclaim, and whose Resurrection (2025) was selected for BIFF’s inaugural Competition last year and won the Artistic Contribution Award; actor Moon Choi, who has expanded her work beyond acting by directing the short film Bandi in the omnibus project Unframed (2021), and by serving as both lead actor and producer of Bedford Park (2026), which is selected for this year’s BIFF; and Japanese director Ishikawa Kei, whose debut feature Gukoroku – Traces of Sin (2016) was selected for the Venice International Film Festival, while A Man (2022) won eight Japan Academy Film Prizes, including Best Picture.

Also joining the jury are July Jung, the first Korean female director to have all three of her feature films—A Girl at My Door (2014), Next Sohee (2022), and Dora (2026)—invited to the Cannes Film Festival; Vietnamese producer Tran Thi Bich Ngoc, a long-time supporter of emerging Southeast Asian filmmakers whose films have been selected for prestigious festivals such as the Berlinale, Toronto, and Tokyo, and who currently oversees the Project Market and Talent Project at the Da Nang Asian Film Festival (DANAFF); and Kazakhstani actor Samal Yeslyamova, who won Best Actress at the Cannes Film Festival for her performance in Ayka (2018) and has maintained close ties with BIFF.

This year’s jury brings together seven film professionals from across Asia, spanning directing, acting, and producing. Drawing on their diverse perspectives and extensive experience, the jurors will assess the achievements and emerging possibilities represented by this year’s Competition lineup.

The Busan Award will be presented across five categories: Best Film, Best Director, Special Jury Prize, Best Actor, and Artistic Contribution, with total case prize money of KRW 110 million.

Presenting the second edition of its Competition section, the 31st Busan International Film Festival will take place for 10 days from October 6 (Tue) to October 15 (Thu) at the Busan Cinema Center and throughout Busan.

■ ZHANG Yimou | China | Director

Zhang Yimou launched his directorial career with Red Sorghum (1987), winner of the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival. He went on to win the Golden Lion at the Venice International Film Festival twice, for The Story of Qiu Ju (1992) and Not One Less (1999). He won the Grand Prix of the Jury at the Cannes Film Festival for To Live (1994), and his films went on to receive three Academy Award nominations and five Golden Globe nominations for Best Foreign Language Film, establishing his status as a world-class filmmaker. He served as Chief Director for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics and the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, and remains highly active today, with recent works including One Second (2021) and Full River Red (2023), and an upcoming sci-fi epic based on The Three-Body Problem. His ties to Busan began in 2010, when Under the Hawthorn Tree opened the Busan International Film Festival.

■ BI Gan | China | Director

Bi Gan’s critically acclaimed debut feature Kaili Blues (2015) won the Best Emerging Director Award at the 2015 Locarno International Film Festival, the Best New Director Award at the 2015 Golden Horse Awards, and the Montgolfière d'Or Award at the 2015 Nantes Three Continents Film Festival, amongst others. Long Day’s Journey Into Night (2018) premiered in Un Certain Regard at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, and won the Best Cinematography, Best Original Film Score and Best Sound Effects at the 2018 Golden Horse Awards. Resurrection (2025) further solidified his global presence, winning the Special Award in Competition at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival and the Busan Award for Artistic Contribution in Competition at the 2025 Busan International Film Festival.

■ Moon CHOI | Korea | Actor

A pioneering actor of her generation, known for her nuanced performances and emotional intelligence, Moon Choi first drew widespread recognition for her portrayal of Japanese anarchist Kaneko Fumiko in Anarchist from Colony (2017), which swept Best Newcomer awards for her performance. She went on to receive the Actor of the Year award at the 2018 Busan International Film Festival for the Korean independent film Our Body (2018). Her international career reached new heights with her performance as a Korean American woman confronting the trauma of her past in the Sundance award-winning Bedford Park (2026). Fluent in Korean, Japanese, and English, Moon Choi continues to expand her creative horizons across borders, bringing a singular presence and versatility to the screen.

■ ISHIKAWA Kei | Japan | Director

Ishikawa Kei is a Japanese film director who studied directing at the Łódź Film School in Poland. His debut feature, Gukoroku – Traces of Sin (2016), premiered in the Orizzonti Competition at the Venice International Film Festival and received several awards in Japan. In 2018, his segment in the omnibus film Ten Years Japan had its world premiere at the Busan International Film Festival. A Man (2022) returned to Busan as the festival's Closing Film, following its selection for Venice's Orizzonti Competition, and won eight awards at the Japan Academy Film Prize, including Best Film. His latest film, A Pale View of Hills (2025), premiered in Un Certain Regard at the Cannes Film Festival.

■ July JUNG | Korea | Director

July Jung made her directorial debut with A Girl at My Door (2014), which premiered in Un Certain Regard at the Cannes Film Festival and drew international attention, going on to win the Best New Director at both the Buil Film Awards and the Baeksang Arts Awards, among others. Her second feature, Next Sohee (2022), screened as the closing film of Critics' Week at the Cannes Film Festival and earned wide critical acclaim, winning the Best Director and the Best New Actress Award at the Buil Film Awards, and the Best Screenplay award at the Baeksang Arts Awards. Her third feature, Dora (2026), was selected for Directors' Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival and is currently awaiting its theatrical release in Korea. With all three of her films having screened at the Cannes Film Festival, Jung became the first South Korean female director to achieve this distinction.

■ TRAN Thi Bich Ngoc | Vietnam | Producer, Head of Project Market and DANAFF Talents at Da Nang Asian Film Festival

Tran Thi Bich Ngoc holds a Bachelor’s degree in Film Directing from Ha Noi Academy of Cinema & Theatre and a Master’s in Public Policy from Fulbright University. With 30 years of experience, she formerly led production at Galaxy Studio and has advised major foreign productions. As an independent producer, her films have earned international acclaim, including Big Father, Small Father and Other Stories (2015), which premiered in Competition at the 2015 Berlin International Film Festival; The Third Wife (2018), screened at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival; and Glorious Ashes (2022), which competed at the 2022 Tokyo International Film Festival and won the Grand Prix at the 2022 Nantes Three Continents Film Festival. She co-founded Autumn Meeting in 2013, a non-profit initiative for emerging Southeast Asian filmmakers, and previously served on the International Competition Jury at the Tokyo International Film Festival. She currently heads the Project Market and DANAFF Talents at the Da Nang Asian Film Festival.

■ Samal YESLYAMOVA | Kazakhstan | Actor

Samal Yeslyamova studied directing and acting at the Russian Institute of Theatre Arts (GITIS). She appeared in Sergei Dvortsevoy's film Tulpan (2008), which won the Un Certain Regard Award at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival. She earned international acclaim by winning the Best Actress Award at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival for her performance in Dvortsevoy's Ayka (2018) and the Best Actress award at the 2019 Asian Film Awards Academy. She starred in Yerlan Nurmukhambetov's The Horse Thieves. Roads of Time (2019), the opening film of the 2019 Busan International Film Festival, and also served as a jury member for BIFF's New Currents section. Her other acting credits include Ruslan Pak's Three (2020), which won the New Currents Award at the 2020 Busan International Film Festival, and Zaka Abdrakhmanova's Dad Croaked on Saturday (2024).