Chinese filmmaking legend Zhang Yimou will preside over the main competition jury at this year’s Busan International Film Festival, leading a seven-member panel of prominent filmmakers, actors and producers from across Asia.
The group will judge the 13 films selected for the second edition of Busan’s new main competition section.
Joining Zhang are Chinese auteur Bi Gan, Korean actress Moon Choi, Japanese director Kei Ishikawa, Korean filmmaker July Jung, Vietnamese producer Tran Thi Bich Ngoc and Kazakh actor Samal Yeslyamova. Busan said the competition jury will award prizes for best film, best director, special jury prize, best actor and artistic contribution.
The broader festival roster is packed with major Asian names, led by Academy Award winner Michelle Yeoh, Chinese star Fan Bingbing and Japanese auteur Kore-eda Hirokazu. Yeoh will return to Busan for the first time in 15 years to receive the Asian Filmmaker of the Year award and will also appear in Bai Xue’s gala title It’s My Time. Fan will join fellow Chinese stars Shu Qi and Zhou Xun, while also curating a Carte Blanche screening of Park Chan-wook’s The Handmaiden.
Read more: Michelle Yeoh, Fan Bingbing, Kore-eda Hirokazu Lead Asian Talent at Busan Film Festival
Kore-eda is due to attend with Look Back, one of five gala presentation titles in the programme. Other major guests include Ann Hui, who will receive the Camellia Award, Christine Hakim, Majid Majidi, Lav Diaz, Rintaro, Tsai Ming-liang, Lee Chang-dong, Na Hong-jin and Kim Jee-woon. Japan is also sending a large delegation led by Nagasawa Masami, while younger names such as Yeh Shuhua, Michelle Mao, Jin Ha and Davika Hoorne add to the festival’s regional mix.
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BIFF’s competition section will feature 14 films from Korea, Japan, China, Taiwan, Iran, Uzbekistan and Indonesia, including four directorial debuts and four films by women. The lineup includes Majidi’s Midday Meal, Kato Takuya’s The Day After Sunday, Chen Jiwen’s Descendants and other titles that underscore the festival’s emphasis on emerging Asian voices.
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The festival’s Window on Asian Cinema section will add 28 more titles from across the region and diaspora, while the Icons section will showcase new work from Hamaguchi Ryusuke, Hong Sangsoo, Lee Chang-dong, Tsai Ming-liang and Kogonada. The 31st Busan International Film Festival runs from Oct. 6 to 15, with the Asian Contents & Film Market scheduled for Oct. 10 to 13.
