To be held at 2 p.m. on Friday, December 5 at the SBA Hall of the Seoul Business Agency

Expanded budget and eligibility compared to last year… expected to boost investment activity

New quotas for rookie directors and international co-productions to actively discover new projects

The Korean Film Council (Chairman Han Sang-joon, hereafter “KOFIC”) will hold a briefing session for the “2026 Mid-Budget Korean Film Production Support Program” at 2 p.m. on Friday, December 5 at the SBA Hall on the 2nd floor of the Seoul Business Agency (400 World Cup Buk-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul). For filmmakers unable to attend in person, the event will also be broadcast live on KOFIC’s official YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/@KoreanFilmCouncil).

Launched in 2025, the mid-budget Korean film production support program aims to address concerns regarding the prolonged stagnation of the film market—where recovery remains slow despite the post-pandemic endemic—and to improve the weakened environment for film investment and production caused by box office polarization. The initiative focuses on stimulating the production of films with mid-range budgets (between KRW 2 billion and under KRW 10 billion in production costs), which play a central role in Korea’s film industry, thereby revitalizing private investment and restoring a healthy industrial cycle and profitability.

Through this program, KOFIC plans to actively discover new mid-budget Korean film projects that combine artistic value and commercial potential, based on innovative and distinguished concepts and stories. The major changes in the 2026 program compared to this year are as follows.

▲The total budget will increase by KRW 10 billion from 2025 to KRW 20 billion ▲Eligibility will expand from “between KRW 2 billion and under KRW 8 billion” in 2025 to “between KRW 2 billion and under KRW 10 billion” ▲Per-project support will change from “up to 30% of production cost or KRW 1.5 billion, whichever is lower” to “up to 40% of production cost or KRW 2.5 billion, whichever is lower,” with amounts to be determined through a differential evaluation process ▲New quotas will also be introduced for rookie directors and international co-productions: at least 30% of final selections will go to first-time directors to foster future industry leaders, and up to 20% will be allocated for international co-productions as a means to explore new markets beyond Korea’s domestic box office.

Meanwhile, in 2025, selected projects were required to finalize a main investment-distribution contract—or equivalent financing agreements for total production costs—within three months after signing a support agreement. However, considering industry concerns that securing main cast and major investors simultaneously within that timeframe was unrealistic, the 2026 program will extend this period to four months. In cases where the main investment contract still fails to be secured within that period, projects will retain eligibility equivalent to reserve selections for an additional three months, during which a supplementary agreement may be signed if the main investment contract is completed.

Applications for the program will be accepted online through the KOFIC website from Friday, December 12 to Monday, December 29 at 4 p.m. Further details, including the required documents, can be found in the notices section of the KOFIC website (www.kofic.or.kr).