Song Joongki and Park Sodam to Host Opening Ceremony 

The 26th edition of the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) is just around the corner. The festival has been revealing portions of its program bit by bit until its full lineup was announced during a press conference on September 15.

Song Joongki and Park Sodam, the stars of Vincenzo and Parasite will add some star wattage as the hosts for this year’s Opening Ceremony. Following which, as already reported, Im Sangsoo’s new film Heaven: To the Land of Happiness will serve as this year’s opening film. Starring Choi Minsik and Park Haeil, the film was the original part of last year’s Cannes lineup, but this will be its world premiere screening. Song Joongki and Park Sodam to Host Opening Ceremony

Among the marquee events this year will be a Special Talk with directors Bong Joonho and Hamaguchi Ryusuke, who will visit the festival with his new films Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy and Drive My Car, and a Master Class with French director Leos Carax, visiting BIFF for the first time since Holy Motors with his latest film Annette. 

Carax and Hamaguchi’s films will serve as this year’s Gala Presentations, while Longman Leung’s Anita, a Hong Kong-China co-production, has been invited as the closing film.

BIFF will present dozens of new Korean and Asian titles to the world, from new voices waiting to be discovered, and the program is also packed with major titles having their Asian or Korean premieres after the Cannes or Venice Film Festivals, including Julia Ducournau’s Palme d’Or winner Titane, Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog and Wes Anderson’s The French Dispatch.

This year’s BIFF will run from October 6 to 15.