Most of the films have rarely been screened in Korean theaters, while some will be screened in Korea for the first time, offering audiences a rare chance to see them on the big screen.

▲(Left to Right) The White Snake Enchantress, Belladonna of Sadness©Mushi Production

▲(Left to Right) Phoenix 2772 (Space Firebird)©1980 Tezuka Productions / Toho

Angel′s Egg©Mamoru Oshii/Yoshitaka Amano/Tokuma Shoten, Tokuma Japan Communications All Rights Reserved

The selection opens with Yabushita Taiji’s The White Snake Enchantress (1958), a film that profoundly influenced Miyazaki Hayao during his senior year of high school. Japan’s first feature-length color animated film, it adapts a Chinese folktale about the romance between a young man and a white serpent who takes human form. In his book Starting Point 1979-1996, Miyazaki recalled crying through the night after watching it. The film remains one of the notable works produced by Toei Animation, the studio that once aspired to become the ‘Disney of the East.’

 

Invited to the 1973 Berlin International Film Festival upon its release, Yamamoto Eiichi’s Belladonna of Sadness (1973) was conceived by Mushi Production as an avant-garde work for adult audiences. Based on Jules Michelet’s book La Sorcière, the film follows Jeanne, who is reborn as a witch after making a pact with the Devil. The film stands out for its bold visual approach, with the camera gliding across still watercolor paintings, complemented by Fukai Kuni’s sensual art direction. Acclaimed actor Nakadai Tatsuya voices the Devil. Following its 4K restoration in 2016, the film became a global cult classic.

 

Phoenix 2772 (Space Firebird) (1980) is a celebrated work by the legendary manga artist Tezuka Osamu, creator of Astro Boy. The film adapts his epic Phoenix manga series, with Tezuka credited with the original story, screenplay, and direction. Its 12-minute opening—encapsulating the protagonist’s growth through music and imagery alone, without a single line of dialogue—remains one of the film’s most iconic sequences.

 

Angel’s Egg (1985) was created by Oshii Mamoru in collaboration with illustrator Yoshitaka Amano. With virtually no dialogue, the film unfolds through experimental visual storytelling, drawing on biblical symbolism and imagery. It laid the groundwork for Oshii’s distinctive cinematic world, which continued to evolve in Ghost in the Shell (1995).

The special program also brings MEMORIES (1995) back to Busan, 30 years after its Korean premiere at the inaugural Busan International Film Festival. The film was overseen by Otomo Katsuhiro, who shook the world with his groundbreaking sci-fi manga Akira (1988). The screening presents the 30th-anniversary digital remaster released in 2025, featuring three distinct episodes that capture a world passing through the turn of the century.

 

Metropolis (2001) is a collaboration spanning three generations of Japanese animation legends. Based on Tezuka Osamu’s 1949 manga, the film is directed by Rintaro (Galaxy Express 999, 1979) and scripted by Otomo Katsuhiro (Akira, 1988). Produced over five years, with one of the largest budgets in Japanese animation at the time, the film is renowned for its breathtaking visuals.

 

MIND GAME (2004) marks the feature directorial debut of Yuasa Masaaki, widely known for his work on Crayon Shin-chan and Chibi Maruko-chan. The film won the Grand Prize in the Animation Division at the 2005 Japan Media Arts Festival (JMAF) and the Ofuji Noburo Award for Animation at the 2004 Mainichi Film Awards. It is based on Robin Nishi’s manga of the same name.

 

Kakurenbo (2004) is the directorial debut of Morita Shuhei, who received an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Short Film for Possessions (2013) and directed the anime series Tokyo Ghoul (2014). This 24-minute short film gained a cult following for its use of 3D CG and cartoon rendering, techniques that were relatively uncommon at the time.

Alongside these classics, the special program also showcases four highly anticipated new releases, offering a glimpse of the next generation of Japanese animation. All four directors—Kadowaki Kohei, Katanosaka Ryo, Natsume Shingo, and Shinomiya Yoshitoshi—will attend BIFF.

 

ghost – end of night, directed by Natsume Shingo and produced by MADHOUSE Inc., will screen at BIFF ahead of its scheduled Japanese theatrical release in 2027. Natsume also directed One-Punch Man (2015), widely acclaimed for its action animation.

 

Shiranui is a 36-minute original theatrical short from CoMix Wave Films, the studio behind many of Shinkai Makoto’s best-known films. The studio discovered self-taught newcomer Katanosaka Ryo and supported him in creating an original work for theatrical release. Katanosaka personally drew two-thirds of the film’s 325 rough animation cuts, reflecting the extraordinary dedication he brought to the project.

 

We Are Aliens, directed by Kadowaki Kohei, marked the arrival of a promising new filmmaker through screenings at the Directors’ Fortnight at this year’s Cannes Film Festival and in Competition at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival. Built around rotoscoping, the film creates a distinctive atmosphere through its realistic visual style.

 

A New Dawn by Shinomiya Yoshitoshi is another highly anticipated title, making history as the first Japanese animated feature from a first-time feature director to be selected for Competition at the Berlin International Film Festival. Following its premiere at the Berlinale, the film went on to receive the Jury Award in the Contrechamp section at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival. The 76-minute film is suffused with the director’s distinctive green palette, inspired by ‘Paris Green,’ a toxic pigment once banned from use. Shinomiya, an experienced artist who contributed to Shinkai Makoto’s Your Name. (2016) and designed the poster for The Garden of Words (2013), wrote the original story and screenplay, and directed the film, while also handling character design and art direction.

 

The special program closes with The King and the Mockingbird (1952, 1980), a classic by French animation pioneer Paul Grimault. Originally completed in 1952, the film received an award at the Venice International Film Festival; Grimault later withdrew it and discarded the earlier version, spending decades adding new scenes before completing a new cut. The film has had a lasting influence on Japanese animation. Miyazaki Hayao paid homage to it in his feature directorial debut, Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro (1979). Takahata Isao—co-founder of Studio Ghibli alongside Miyazaki—remarked that he might never have entered the world of animation without having seen it. The film is also deeply admired by director Bong Joon-ho.

 

Presenting the Japanese Animation Special, BIFF Festival Director Jung Hanseok said, “Animation has recently become one of the most dynamic forms in global cinema, bridging East and West. That is why, for this year’s major Special Programs in Focus, we wanted to take a closer look at the world of Japanese animation, long one of the great traditions and powerhouses of the medium.”

 

“A few demanding criteria were put in place by design. First, wherever possible, the films should be original animated works made for theatrical release. Second, they should be works that stood as bold precedents in their time, or that offer a vision of the future. In particular, we focused on films that have rarely, if ever, received theatrical screenings in Korea. Finally, we chose to set aside the works of Miyazaki Hayao and Takahata Isao, enduring masters of Japanese animation. Instead, we included classics they deeply admired—works that served as a foundation of their own work,” Jung added.

 

“Some films can only be fully experienced in a theater. I hope audiences in Busan will not miss this rare opportunity to experience these works on the big screen. I am also deeply honored to welcome Rintaro, a living legend of Japanese animation, and four directors representing its next generation to BIFF,” Jung concluded.

 

Featuring a fresh and diverse lineup, the 31st Busan International Film Festival will be held for 10 days from Oct 6 (Tue) to Oct 15 (Thu) in and around the Busan Cinema Center.

Based on an old Chinese legend, the film recounts the tragic love story of a white serpent, Bai Niang, and a young man named Xu Xian. Japan’s first feature-length full-color animated film.

 

Belladonna of Sadness (1973) / Director Yamamoto Eiichi
Set in medieval France, the film follows Jeanne, a peasant girl mistreated by the local feudal authorities. After making a pact with the Devil, Jeanne is reborn as a witch. A striking work distinguished by its unconventional direction, with the camera gliding across static watercolor paintings.

 

Phoenix 2772 (Space Firebird) (1980) / Director Tezuka Osamu
In a future where computers determine human destiny, Godo is a space pilot raised by a robot named Olga. Exiled for forbidden love, Godo ventures into space in search of the cosmic lifeform Phoenix to save his dying home planet. 

 

Angel′s Egg (1985) / Director Oshii Mamoru
In a flooded, ruined city, a girl cradling a giant egg encounters a young man bearing a cross-shaped weapon. With little spoken dialogue, the film relies on Christian motifs and imagery, leaving room for interpretation.

 

MEMORIES (1995) / Director Otomo Katsuhiro
An omnibus made up of three episodes revolving around the theme of ‘memory’: Magnetic Rose, following the crew of a space debris-recovery ship; Stink Bomb, about a salaryman unwittingly transformed into a human biological weapon in a laboratory accident; and Cannon Fodder, portraying a city under constant cannon fire in a single shot. 

 

Metropolis (2001) / Director Rintaro
In a futuristic megacity divided into human and robot classes, a young boy named Kenichi meets Tima, a robot girl who has lost her memory. When it is revealed that Tima holds the key to ruling the city, the skyscraper Ziggurat faces its downfall.

 

MIND GAME (2004) / Director Yuasa Masaaki
After reuniting with his first love, Myon, aspiring manga artist Nishi is absurdly gunned down by a yakuza. Refusing to accept death before God, Nishi races back into life, only to end up trapped inside the belly of a gigantic whale.

 

 

ghost – end of night (2026) / Director Natsume Shingo
In a technologically advanced near future, Neekei—a girl unfamiliar with emotions—lives as the keeper of ‘Starlight,’ a realm akin to the afterlife. When she meets Mars, a man living with loss, the two begin to transform one another.

 

Shiranui (2026) / Director Katanosaka Ryo
Ten-year-old Minato lives in a seaside village in Kumamoto, praying to the mysterious light known as ‘Shiranui.’ But his prayer twists into an inescapable curse.

 

We Are Aliens (2026) / Director Kadowaki Kohei
One summer in third grade, Tsubasa and Kyotaro become best friends. Years later, a small betrayal during their adolescence leaves a lasting mark on one of their lives.

 

A New Dawn (2026) / Director Shinomiya Yoshitoshi
A 330-year-old fireworks workshop is slated for demolition as part of a redevelopment project. With his father missing, a young man named Keitaro continues the search for the legendary firework ‘Shuhari.’ When Keitaro reunites with his childhood friend Kaoru, the two-day countdown to the launch of the final firework begins.

 

The King and the Mockingbird (1952, 1980) / Director Paul Grimault
In a kingdom ruled by a cross-eyed tyrant, a shepherdess and a chimney sweep slip out of a painting on the wall. The two run from the king, while a mockingbird helps them escape.