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 30th Busan film festival closes on high note
Closing ceremony of the 30th Busan International Film Festival is held at the outdoor stage of Busan Cinema Center in Busan, Friday. Yonhap
By Baek Byung-yeul
The 30th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) concluded its 10-day run Friday, solidifying its status as Asia’s top cinematic event and making a successful debut as a competitive film festival.
Despite the challenges faced by the domestic film market, this year’s festival drew a total of 175,889 visitors, around 20,000 more than last year’s event.
The festival introduced its new competitive section, the Busan Award, as it enters its third decade.
Director Zhang Lu speaks after receiving the Best Film Award at the closing ceremony of the Busan International Film Festival at the outdoor stage of Busan Cinema Center in Busan, Friday. Courtesy of organizing committee
The grand finale took place at the outdoor stage of the Busan Cinema Center, where the inaugural Busan Award winners were announced. The Best Film Award, regarded as the top honor, was given to Chinese director Zhang Lu’s “Gloaming in Luomu.”
The movie was unanimously chosen by the jury, and Zhang, who won the festival's New Currents Award for new filmmakers in 2005, expressed his deep connection to the festival.
“I stand here again after 20 years,” Zhang said. “I hope to be on this stage when BIFF celebrates its 100th anniversary.”
“Gloaming in Luomu” depicts a woman’s journey to trace a former lover’s presence in a small Chinese town. The film was praised by the jury, chaired by director Na Hong-jin, for its experimental approach and insightful look at human beings grappling with love and loss.
“The first step of the newly introduced competitive section has been successful,” said Jung Han-seok, director of the film festival, who added that the festival will use this year’s results as a starting point for future growth.
Actor Claudia Kim emcees the closing ceremony of the Busan International Film Festival at the outdoor stage of Busan Cinema Center in Busan, Friday. Yonhap
BIFF organizers released the festival’s final figures, highlighting its significant growth in a press conference held before the closing ceremony. They said 175,889 audience members watched 328 movies during the festival, and around 63,000 visitors took part in events held throughout Busan.
The Asian Contents & Film Market (ACFM), a crucial barometer of the festival’s industrial competitiveness, also broke records. The four-day event drew an all-time high of 30,006 participants from 54 countries and 1,222 companies.
ACFM Director Kim Young-deok said the market’s strength lies in its global reach, noting that 60 percent of the registered industry professionals were overseas attendees. “ACFM can now be highlighted as the most global platform in Asia,” Kim said.
Park Kwang-su, chair of Busan International Film Festival, speaks during a press conference held at Busan Cinema Center in Busan, Friday. Yonhap
Concerns over the festival’s financial sustainability were also addressed by the organizing committee. The festival’s total budget this year was approximately 13 billion won ($9.2 million), but the proportion of government support had fallen sharply.
BIFF Chair Park Kwang-su said the government funds now constitute less than 4 percent of the total budget, a steep decline from 20 percent in 2022.
“World-renowned festivals like Cannes, Venice and Berlin are known to receive more than 50 percent of their budgets from government and local authority support,” Park said, stressing that the festival must increasingly rely on external sponsors like Chanel, Netflix and Genesis. He urged the government to provide more proactive support to help BIFF solidify its place as a global film festival.