A-List Stars and Acclaimed Filmmakers Assemble as Busan Unveils Star-Studded Gala Lineup and Asian Cinema Competition

The 31st Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) has revealed its distinguished guest lineup, headlined by Isabelle Huppert, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Kore-eda Hirokazu, Fan Bingbing, and Michelle Yeoh.

Huppert will present her latest feature, “All About Corinne,” to Busan audiences. Gyllenhaal makes her first trip to Korea with “Flesh Impact,” a project celebrating the centenary of Marilyn Monroe’s birth. Fan Bingbing joins Chinese stars Shu Qi and Zhou Xun in Busan, while also curating a Carte Blanche selection of Park Chan-wook’s “The Handmaiden.” Meanwhile, Yeoh—the first Asian performer to win the Academy Award for Best Actress—returns to the festival after 15 years to accept the Asian Filmmaker of the Year award and star in the gala presentation “It’s My Time.”

The broader guest roster is equally extensive. Hong Kong’s Ann Hui will accept the Camellia Award, and Indonesian icon Christine Hakim will also attend. Iranian director Majid Majidi, renowned for “Children of Heaven,” makes his first trip to Korea with his competition entry, “Midday Meal.” Animator Rintaro returns to discuss his work on “Metropolis,” while Filipino director Lav Diaz comes back to Korea after a decade away. Kore-eda Hirokazu arrives with “Look Back,” Taiwan’s Tsai Ming-liang returns for a second consecutive year with a new entry in his “Walker” series, and French filmmaker Bertrand Mandico presents “Roma Elastica,” starring Marion Cotillard. Korean auteurs Lee Chang-dong, Na Hong-Jin, and Kim Jeewoon round out the lineup, with Kim serving as one of this year’s three Carte Blanche curators.

Japan is sending a large delegation of stars led by Nagasawa Masami, including Emoto Tasuku, Ishibashi Shizuka, Kuroki Haru, Yokohama Ryusei, Yamazaki Kento, Matsushita Kouhei, Sawajiri Erika, Maruyama Ryuhei, and Nagayama Eita. A younger cohort of international stars is also attending, including Yeh Shuhua, Michelle Mao, Jin Ha, and Thai star Davika Hoorne.

The festival’s gala presentation section will screen five films, with directors and casts in attendance. Kore-eda’s “Look Back” adapts Fujimoto Tatsuki’s manga for the screen. “All About Corinne,” directed by Marc Fitoussi, marks his fourth collaboration with Huppert. Judith Godrèche’s “A Girl’s Story” revisits Nobel laureate Annie Ernaux’s most intimate memories, following a young woman’s coming-of-age journey. “It’s My Time,” directed by Bai Xue, casts Yeoh as a 70-year-old woman facing an unexpected challenge. July Jung’s “Dora,” which premiered at Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight, closes out the section.

The competition section, BIFF’s primary Asian cinema showcase, features 14 films from Korea, Japan, China, Taiwan, Iran, Uzbekistan, and Indonesia, four of which are directorial debuts and four from women filmmakers. Majidi’s “Midday Meal” anchors an international lineup that includes Kato Takuya’s “The Day After Sunday,” Chen Jiwen’s “Descendants,” Gu You’s “The First Taste of Loneliness,” Hirose Nanako’s “Between Two Lovers,” Eddie Cahyono’s “Ibuku,” Okita Shuichi’s “Satoko Always,” Yosep Anggi Noen’s “The Sea Speaks His Name,” Kim Jung-hoon’s “Shaving,” and Lee Yun Chan’s “To Be Ordinary.” The four debut features are from Lim Hayeon, Botir Abdurakhmanov, Youm Kyubock, and Tanaka Miki. The section serves as the entry point for BIFF’s New Currents Award, recognizing a standout directorial debut.

Alongside the competition, the festival’s Window on Asian Cinema section adds 28 further titles from established and emerging filmmakers working across Asia and its diaspora, many of which are multi-country co-productions. The lineup includes Wayne Wang’s “Diary of a Mad Old Man,” Kamila Andini’s “Four Seasons in Java,” Rima Das’ “Not a Hero,” and Fujii Michihito’s “You, Like a Star,” alongside a broad array of titles spanning India, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, Kazakhstan, Iran, and beyond.

The Icons section, a sidebar dedicated to works by established masters of world cinema, presents 35 films this year. The lineup brings together Hamaguchi Ryusuke’s “All of a Sudden,” Pedro Almodóvar’s “Bitter Christmas,” Werner Herzog’s “Bucking Fastard,” Lukas Dhont’s “Coward,” Cristian Mungiu’s “Fjord,” David Lowery’s “Mother Mary,” starring Anne Hathaway, and Brad Bird’s animated “Ray Gunn,” featuring the voices of Sam Rockwell, Scarlett Johansson, and Tom Waits. It also features Korean auteurs Hong Sangsoo and Lee Chang-dong, Taiwan’s Tsai Ming-liang, and Kogonada’s U.S.-Hong Kong co-production “Zi,” which will have its international premiere in Busan.

The guest and program announcements follow a series of earlier reveals for this year’s edition, including the “The Table: Day and Night” opening film, the Vision-Korea and Vision-Asia lineups, the Korean Cinema Today and On Screen selections, the Carte Blanche curators, a tribute program for the late Ahn Sung-ki, and market-side news from the Asian Contents & Film Market. The market news includes Thailand’s debut as Country of Honor, the InnoAsia technology program, and new additions to the Asian Project Market and Busan Story Market.

The 31st Busan International Film Festival will run from Oct. 6-15 at the Busan Cinema Center and venues throughout the city, with the 21st Asian Contents & Film Market held Oct. 10-13.

COMPETITION SELECTION

“Beach Fictions” – Lim Hayeon – Korea – World Premiere
“Between Two Lovers” – Hirose Nanako – Japan – World Premiere
“The Day After Sunday” – Kato Takuya – Japan / France – World Premiere
“Descendants” – Chen Jiwen – China – World Premiere
“The First Taste of Loneliness” – Gu You – China – World Premiere
“Hilol” – Botir Abdurakhmanov – Uzbekistan – World Premiere
“Ibuku” – Eddie Cahyono – Indonesia / Japan – World Premiere
“Long Long Night” – Youm Kyubock – Korea
“Midday Meal” – Majid Majidi – Iran – World Premiere
“Satoko Always” – Okita Shuichi – Japan – International Premiere
“The Sea Speaks His Name” – Yosep Anggi Noen – Indonesia – World Premiere
“Shaving” – Kim Jung-hoon – Korea – World Premiere
“Silver Express” – Tanaka Miki – Japan – World Premiere
“To Be Ordinary” – Lee Yun Chan – Taiwan – World Premiere

A WINDOW ON ASIAN CINEMA SELECTION

“9 Temples to Heaven” – Sompot Chidgasornpongse – Thailand / Singapore / France / Norway / China / Hong Kong, China / Indonesia / Qatar
“About an Intimate Matter” – Sandeep Kumar Paul – India / United States / United Kingdom – World Premiere
“Big Little Things” – Michelle Zhou – Hong Kong, China / United States
“Birds on Ice” – Sahil H. Shah – India – World Premiere
“The Burning Giants” – Phuttiphong Aroonpheng – Thailand / Singapore / France / Netherlands
“Dhara” – Anuruddha Jayasingha – Sri Lanka / Canada – World Premiere
“Diary of a Mad Old Man” – Wayne Wang – United States
“Elephants in the Fog” – Abinash Bikram Shah – Nepal / Germany / Brazil / France / Norway
“Filipiñana” – Rafael Manuel – Singapore / U.K. / Philippines / France / Netherlands
“Four Seasons in Java” – Kamila Andini – Indonesia / France / Netherlands / Norway / Saudi Arabia / Poland
“The Gate of Murder” – Kanai Ko – Japan – World Premiere
“A Girl Unknown” – Zou Jing – China / France
“Gu Shi” – Amie Song – United States / Hong Kong, China / Thailand
“Happily Ever After” – Feng-I Fiona Roan – Taiwan
“Head to Head” – Ghasideh Golmakani – Iran / Germany
“Hearing” – Lê Bảo – Singapore / Vietnam / Norway / France / Indonesia / Saudi Arabia / Cambodia / Thailand / Taiwan
“In My Father’s Room” – Harada Maha – Japan
“In Winter” – Yerlan Nurmukhambetov, Nursultan Nuskabekov – Kazakhstan – World Premiere
“Khoriya” – Vishwendra Singh – India – World Premiere
“Lovers in the Blue Night” – Anuparna Roy – India / U.S.
“No Good Men” – Shahrbanoo Sadat – Germany / France / Norway / Denmark / Afghanistan
“Not a Hero” – Rima Das – India / Singapore
“Promised Spaces” – Ivan Marković – France / Cambodia / Serbia / Germany
“The Soul Whisperer” – Leo Thaddeus – Australia / India / France / Bangladesh – World Premiere
“Spirit Guardians: The Last Secret Of The First Emperor” – Nguyen Phan Quang Binh – Vietnam
“The Violinist” – Ervin Han, Raúl García – Singapore / Spain / Italy
“Will You Still Be My Friend” – Lu Po-Shun – Taiwan / Singapore
“You, Like a Star” – Fujii Michihito – Japan – International Premiere

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