Baek Byung-yeul is a journalist at The Korea Times focused on cultural content, including films and cultural events in South Korea. You can contact him at baekby@koreatimes.co.kr to share your insights.
BIFF 2025 Na Hong-jin vows to lead BIFF’s first competition jury with sincerity
Director Na Hong-jin, jury president of Busan International Film Festival’s competition section, speaks during a press conference at Busan Cinema Center in Busan, Thursday. Yonhap
By Baek Byung-yeul
BUSAN — Director Na Hong-jin, currently serving as the first jury president of the Busan International Film Festival's (BIFF) new competition section, expressed the desire to do his best in the judging process.
"I was on stage at the opening ceremony yesterday. It has been almost 10 years since I've directed a film, so being on a stage like that again after so long almost caused a panic attack," Na said during a press conference at the Busan Cinema Center in Busan, Thursday.
"It's a lot of pressure, but I'll do my best. We've made careful and important decisions and it must succeed. I'm going to put my all into it."
This year, Asia's leading film festival established a new competition section and created the Busan Award, with the inaugural ceremony to be held on Sept. 26, the closing day.
Na was appointed as the head of the competition jury for the landmark first competition, which includes 14 major Asian films. The awards will honor top films from across Asia in five categories: Best Film, Best Director, Special Jury Award, Best Actor and Artistic Contribution.
Na, who made his directorial debut with the 2008 film "The Chaser," added that while he felt immense pressure in taking on the role, he accepted it at the recommendation of his mentor, Park Kwang-su, the current chair of BIFF and director of films like "A Single Spark" (1995) and "Chilsu and Mansu" (1988).
"I want to convey my sincere respect to all the people involved with the competition films who have completed and submitted their works. I will do my best to fulfill my duties as a judge," Na said.
Jury members of Busan International Film Festival’s competition section pose during a press conference at Busan Cinema Center in Busan, Thursday. From left are Na Hong-jin, Tony Leung Ka-fai, Nandita Das, Marzieh Meshkini, Kogonada, Yulia Evina Bhara and Han Hyo-joo. Yonhap
The jury panel includes Hong Kong actor Tony Leung Ka-fai, Indian actor and director Nandita Das and Iranian director Marzieh Meshkini. Also joining are Korean American director Kogonada, known for films like "Columbus" (2017) and "After Yang" (2021), Indonesian film producer Yulia Evina Bhara and Korean actor Han Hyo-joo.
Leung said of the opportunity, "I believe that being a jury member is a greater honor than coming to a film festival with a film you've appeared in. Diverse and excellent works from around the world gather at film festivals, so it's not difficult to set the judging criteria."
The actor described film as a universal language and said his role is to encourage audiences to engage with cinema.
"As an actor, I have a strong desire for audiences to come to the theaters," he said. "As a jury member, my responsibility is to find the best films and get audiences to come watch them."
Han also said she will strive to select great films by focusing on their artistic merits.
"Global interest in Asian culture is growing these days, and I'm participating in the competition judging with great expectations," she said. "I think it's important to watch films without prejudice. I will try my best to see what kind of message and sincerity each film holds."