Record-High KRW 25.77 Billion in Support: 16 Korean Films Selected for 2026 Supplementary-Budget Mid-Budget Korean Film Production Support

The Korean Film Council (KOFIC, Chairperson Han Sang-jun) has selected 16 projects for the 2026 supplementary-budget Mid-Budget Korean Film Production Support Program and will provide a total of KRW 25.77 billion in funding.

The Mid-Budget Korean Film Production Support Program was launched by KOFIC in 2025 to promote the production of mid-budget films, which play a central role in the Korean film industry, and to encourage private investment in order to establish a virtuous cycle across the industry.

The program began with a budget of KRW 10 billion in 2025 and was expanded to KRW 19.86 billion under the 2026 main budget. Its funding scale has now been further increased through the supplementary budget.

Of the 16 projects selected this year, eight are directed by first-time directors, accounting for 50% of the total. This is well above the minimum 30% quota for first-time directors set out in the program guidelines. With emerging filmmakers selected across all budget categories, KOFIC aims to help foster a new generation of creators in Korean cinema.

The 16 selected projects are divided into four categories according to their net production budgets: five films in Category A, with budgets of KRW 2 billion to less than KRW 3 billion; six in Category B, with budgets of KRW 3 billion to less than KRW 6 billion; three in Category C, with budgets of KRW 6 billion to less than KRW 10 billion; and two in Category D, with budgets of KRW 10 billion to less than KRW 15 billion.

Category A includes five films: <Ten Birthdays>, directed by Lee Seok-geun; <Women in a Jar>, directed by Baek Seung-bin; <The Ghost of Bongcheon-dong>, directed by Han Dong-seok; <Nam Eun-jung>, directed by Kim Dong-hoon; and <I’m Glad.>, directed by Koji Fukada.

<Ten Birthdays> is a new film by Lee Seok-geun, director of <On Your Wedding Day>, which starred Park Bo-young. <Women in a Jar> is directed by Baek Seung-bin, a graduate of the Korean Academy of Film Arts (KAFA), while <The Ghost of Bongcheon-dong> is a Korean horror film based on the webtoon of the same name. <Nam Eun-jung> will star Yum Jung-ah and Park Eun-bin as mother and daughter, while <I’m Glad.> is directed by Koji Fukada, whose works including <Harmonium> and <Nagi Note> have received recognition at international film festivals.

Category B includes six films: <Da Capo>, directed by E.oni; <Magistrate Oh Hoeng-muk>, directed by Go Do-won; <Korean Apartment Murder>, directed by Woo In-beom; <My Left Arm>, directed by Cho Jin-mo; <Let’s Shake Our Sun>, directed by Park Dan-hee; and <Jiangshi: Workshop of Horror>, directed by Woo Moon-gi.

<Da Capo> is the latest work by E.oni, director of <Love in the Big City>, starring Kim Go-eun and Noh Sang-hyun. <Magistrate Oh Hoeng-muk> is an investigative drama set in the Joseon Dynasty, while <Korean Apartment Murder> combines a confined-space thriller with black comedy. <My Left Arm> takes a lighthearted approach to disability, and <Let’s Shake Our Sun> stars Lee Do-hyun and Kim Min-ha. <Jiangshi: Workshop of Horror> reunites <The King of Jokgu> director Woo Moon-gi with actor Ahn Jae-hong.

Category C includes three films: <Typhoon>, directed by Lee Jung-ho; <Cartel>, directed by Eom Yu-na; and <I Am a Firefly>, directed by Lee Joon-ik.

<I Am a Firefly>, starring Park Hae-il and Park Seo-jun, deals with a tragic event in modern Korean history. <Cartel> is a Korean-style noir film examining power and corruption in society, while <Typhoon> stars Han Ji-min and Koo Kyo-hwan as a married couple who confront the nature of their relationship amid the devastation of a massive typhoon.

Category D, which was temporarily introduced as part of efforts to address the challenges facing the Korean film industry, includes two films: <A Nice Place to Live (Working Title)>, directed by Um Tae-hwa, and <Modup>, directed by Park Jong-hyun.

<A Nice Place to Live (Working Title)> is a new film by Um Tae-hwa, director of <Concrete Utopia>, and stars Hwang Jung-min, Go Min-si, and Eum Moon-suk. <Modup>, the feature directorial debut of Park Jong-hyun, combines indigenous shamanism with an immersive adventure format and stars Yoo Hae-jin, Im Si-wan, and Kim So-hyun. Each of the two projects will receive KRW 3 billion in production support.

Kim Do-soo, chair of the final selection committee, said, “The first word that came to mind during this evaluation was ‘hope.’ We were able to see throughout the submissions the intense efforts of creators seeking to develop new ideas into accomplished screenplays and films. In particular, the strong showing by first-time directors striving to find their own perspectives and forms of expression demonstrated new possibilities for Korean cinema.”

He added, “If projects that reinterpret a wide range of genres and subject matter in new ways can move into production and theatrical release and ultimately meet audiences, they could provide fresh momentum for the Korean film industry.”

Meanwhile, previously selected projects under the Mid-Budget Korean Film Production Support Program are also preparing to meet audiences.

Among them, <Dora>, directed by July Jung, was invited to the Directors’ Fortnight section of the 79th Cannes Film Festival and the Gala Presentation section of the 31st Busan International Film Festival. <Final Interview>, directed by Kim Jung-hoon, was invited to the Korean Cinema Today – Panorama section of the 31st Busan International Film Festival.

Published under Public Domain Mark (Korea Open Government License — Attribution). For further inquiries regarding this release, please contact the person in charge. Source: Korean Film Council (KOFIC) https://www.kofic.or.kr/kofic/business/board/selectBoardDetail.do?boardNumber=181&boardSeqNumber=75403