Busan Film Fest is an international film festival held in Busan, Korea. The first was held on September 13, 1996, and since then, it has grown to become the largest in Korea, with worldwide recognition. This year is the 30th Busan Film Fest, and it will be held from September 17 through September 26, 2025. The Asian Cinema Fund, the flagship funding organization, has announced their official selections from a record-breaking number of submissions!
Busan Film Fest 2025
Submissions for the 2025 Busan Film Fest saw a 23% increase, a total of 850 projects! They were reviewed thoroughly for creative potential and project maturity. Projects were submitted for one of three funding opportunities: the Script Development Fund, the Post-Production Fund, or the Asian Network of Documentary Fund (AND Fund). Projects that have been funded this way consistently find success at major film festivals, which helps to elevate and expand the reach of Asian independent cinema.
Script Development Fund
There were 478 submissions to the Script Development Fund, which provides support for films in the planning and writing stage. For the Busan Film Fest, they chose projects that have protagonists who “confront and resist their realities in distinct and powerful ways.” Three projects were selected for the fund.
Black Star Angel, directed by Christine Haroutounian (Armenia), revolves around the struggles of a woman to escape from a war-shaped life. Heaven Help Us!, directed by Eve Baswel (Philippines), seeks to restore the dignity of the victims of the Manila Film Center collapse of the 1980s. New Life, directed by Li Yingtong (China), follows the lives of a mother and daughter after the death of their father and husband, and how they support each other to move forward.
A grant of KRW 10 million ($7,300) will be provided for each project to help with script development. They also receive an invitation to the Asian Project Market 2025, where they will have opportunities for connection with industry stakeholders.
Post-Production Fund
There were 75 submissions for this fund, which will have their world premieres at the Busan Film Fest! Two were selected from Korea for extraordinary cinematic sensibilities. Two were chosen from Asia for presenting well-timed issues from new viewpoints.
The films from Korea are Coming of Age, directed by Jeong Seung-o, which portrays a variety of views and voices from many generations and social classes, and The Observer’s Journal, directed by Lim Junghwan, which has an unusual setting and circumstances shaping a blend of humor and tension. If on a Winter’s Night, directed by Sanju Surendran (India), and The River that Holds Our Hands, directed by Chen Jianhang (Hong Kong, China/Vietnam), round out the four selections.
AND Fund
The AND Fund has a total of 7 selected projects, with 4 coming from Korea. They were chosen because of their creative and compelling approaches. The documentaries chosen will be shared for the AND Talk & Share sessions during the Asian Contents & Film Market.
That’s a Wrap!
That’s 14 amazing projects chosen to be honored at the Busan Film Fest 2025 in September! The festival starts on September 17 at the Buan Cinema Center. The Asian Contents & Film Market starts on September 20 at the Busan Exhibition and Convention Center.
