Busan International Film Festival

Busan International Film Festival

The Opening Ceremony, 2009
Location	Busan, South Korea
Language	International
Website	www.biff.kr

The Busan International Film Festival (BIFF, previously Pusan International Film Festival, PIFF), held annually in Haeundae-gu, Busan (also Pusan), South Korea, is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia. The first festival, held from 13 to 21 September 1996, was also the first international film festival in Korea. The focus of the BIFF is introducing new films and first-time directors, especially those from Asian countries. Another notable feature is the appeal of the festival to young people, both in terms of the large youthful audience it attracts and through its efforts to develop and promote young talent. In 1999, the Pusan Promotion Plan (renamed Asian Project Market in 2011) was established to connect new directors to funding sources. The 16th BIFF in 2011 saw the festival move to a new permanent home, the Busan Cinema Center in Centum City. The Busan Cinema Center is an about USD 150 million structure designed by Austria-based architecture collective Coop Himmelblau. The about 30,000 m² Cinema Center includes a 4,000-seat outdoor theatre; four indoor screens under an LED-covered roof; media centre; archive space; and conference rooms; allowing the festival to include industry forums and educational activities.

The Busan International Film Festival is organised in various sections:

A number of awards are handed out each year, including:

The New Currents Award is given to best feature films selected from works of new Asian Directors in the New Currents section.

Newly created in 2009, the USD 30,000 award is given to the best film among those screened in the competing section, Flash Forward.

A KRW 20,000,000 (US$17,000) award given to the Korean and Asian director of the best short film (1996, 1997, 2008–present).

A KRW 10,000,000 (US$8,500) award given to the best Korean and Asian (from 2008) documentary film directors.

Newly created in 2014, Actor & Actress of the Year is the award to focus on first time actor and an actress in an independent Korean film among the New Currents and Korean Cinema Today Vision section. One top Korean actor and actress select one actor and one actress, will be awarded at the closing ceremony. Winners will be awarded 5,000,000 KRW (approx. 5,000 USD) each.

Given by the International Federation of Film Critics from the entries in the New Currents section.

Awarded to the best Korean film from either New Currents and Korean Cinema Today sections