[31st BIFF] Audience Numbers Surpass 200,000 for the First Time in 10 Years... Closing Today (15th)

Im Si-wan to Host Busan Awards CeremonyThe closing ceremony of the 31st Busan International Film Festival will be held on the 15th. Pictured is the area around the Busan Cinema Center in Haeundae-gu, Busan, on October 6th, ahead of the opening of the 31st Busan International Film Festival (BIFF). /Busan=Reporter Park Heon-woo[Reporter Park Ji-yoon] The 31st Busan International Film Festival is coming to a close amidst great interest.The 31st Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), which opened on the 6th, will hold its closing ceremony at the Busan Cinema Center's Loop Theater in Haeundae-gu, Busan, at 7 p.m. on the 15th, marking the end of its ten-day journey. The event will be hosted by actor Im Si-wan.This year, the Busan International Film Festival was selected as an 'A-list film festival' by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF), placing it alongside Cannes, Berlin, and Venice as a major global film festival.Having once again enhanced its international standing, the Busan International Film Festival, considering the concentration of audience visits and viewings in the opening week, moved its opening day forward by one day from the usual Wednesday, opening on a Tuesday for the first time in its history.The 31st Busan International Film Festival showcased 315 films across 31 screens in 8 theaters, with a total of 304 audience Q&A sessions and 72 diverse events held throughout the festival, boasting an expanded scale compared to last year.As a result, it recorded a total of 277,027 attendees, an increase of 40,000 from last year. This marks the first time in 10 years, since 2015, that the audience surpassed 200,000, proving its progress beyond its 30th anniversary.The 31st Busan International Film Festival recorded a total of 277,027 attendees, surpassing 200,000 attendees for the first time in 10 years. Pictured are actors attending the opening ceremony of the 31st Busan International Film Festival held at the Busan Cinema Center in Haeundae-gu, Busan, on October 6th. /Reporter Park Heon-wooThe competition section of the Busan International Film Festival, in its second year, has built a more dense lineup based on the achievements of its first year, and the winners of the 'Busan Award' in five categories will be unveiled at the closing ceremony.Competing films include "The Day's Taeju" by director Im Ha-yeon, "Between Two Lovers" by Hirose Nanako, "The Day After Sunday" by Kato Takuya, "Descendant" by Cheon Ji-won, "The Loneliness I Met for the First Time" by Gu Yu, "Hillol" by Votir Abdurakhmanov, "The Long Long Night" by Yeom Gyu-bok, "Bread and the Book" by Majid Majidi, "My Mother" by Edi Cahyono, "Satoko is Always" by Okita Shuichi, "Names Carved in the Sea" by Yosep Anggi Noen, "The Shaving" by Kim Jeong-hoon, "Silver Express" by Tanaka Maki, and "For the Sake of Being Ordinary" by Lee Won-chan.Among these, particular attention is focused on the winner of the 'Busan Award Grand Prize,' which grants eligibility for submission to the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film.This year, Yang Ja-kyung, winner of the Asian Filmmaker Award, director Ann Hui, winner of the Camellia Award, and former Busan International Film Festival director Kim Dong-ho, recipient of the Korean Cinema Award, along with numerous directors and actors representing the global film industry, visited Busan.Director Alfonso Cuarón, making his first official visit to Korea, along with Maggie Gyllenhaal, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Isabelle Huppert, Zhou Xun, Fan Bingbing, Hirokazu Kore-eda, Majid Majidi, Lav Diaz, and Rintaro, as well as Korean filmmakers Lee Chang-dong, Na Hong-jin, Kim Jee-woon, Im Kwon-taek, Jung Ji-young, Bae Chang-ho, Lee Myung-se, and actors Sol Kyung-gu, Jeon Do-yeon, Jo Yeo-jeong, and Jo In-sung, joined the festival.The participation of filmmakers spanning generations, including Yang Ja-kyung, who returned to Busan after 15 years, once again made the Busan International Film Festival a vibrant festival where films, filmmakers, and audiences come together.Furthermore, at this year's ACFM, the market site served as a starting point for actual industry collaborations. On the 12th, Korean content investor Solaire Partners and Japanese entertainment finance company Questry signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a joint Korean-Japanese content fund worth a total of 100 billion won.At InnoAsia, Kling AI showcased its vision for AI-reimagined filmmaking in collaboration with Korean director Kim Sung-su and other creators. At Producer Hub, the Asian Producers Alliance (APA), led by the Korean Film Producers Association and the Indonesian Producers Association (APROFI), with producer groups from the Philippines, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, was formed, marking the first step towards a permanent alliance for Asian producers to collaborate on co-productions and policy coordination.Moreover, the fact that the market created a framework for cooperation between countries, companies, and organizations, beyond individual project meetings, demonstrated that ACFM is establishing itself as a hub for collaboration in the Asian content industry.jiyoon-1031@tf.co.kr[Entertainment Department | ssent@tf.co.kr]