[E-Daily Starin Choi Hee-jae Reporter] The 30th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN) has come to a successful close.

BIFAN, which opened on the 2nd, concluded its grand run on the 12th. This year, under the theme of “Expansion and Innovation,” the festival introduced various changes, including an expanded program and the launch of an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Content Summit.
The festival featured 321 films from 50 countries (170 feature films, 85 short films, 38 AI films, and 28 XR films), representing an approximately 45% increase in the number of screenings compared to last year. Of these, 93 films had their world premieres at this year’s BIFAN.
Total attendance reached 66,128, a 27% increase from last year’s 52,024. Over the 11-day event, approximately 137,000 visitors attended BIFAN.

At the opening ceremony red carpet event held on the 2nd, world-renowned filmmakers such as Yuan Hua-ping, Fan Bingbing, Isabelle Huppert, and Josh Ho thrilled the audience. These four guests each held press conferences to discuss their respective film careers, behind-the-scenes stories, and their perspectives on AI as creators.
Masterclasses, Mega Talks, and various Q&A sessions were also essential events at BIFAN. Director Takashi Miike graced the “Ichi the Killer” masterclass; Director Choi Dong-hoon and actor Yoo Hae-jin attended the “Tazza” Mega Talk; Ryu Seung-ryong and Gong Myung participated in the “Extreme Job” Q&A; and Tiffany Young graced the “NIKO” Q&A.

Screenings and Q&A sessions were also held as part of the “Neighborhood Movie Theater on the Go” program. Kim Yoon-seok, Kim Sung-ryung, and Lee Seung-gi from *The Big Family*; Kim Ha-neul and Yoo Ji-tae from *Sympathy*; and Director Jeong Ji-young and Yeom Hye-ran from *My Name Is* met with Bucheon residents and audience members.
The inaugural “Bucheon AI Content Summit” also concluded successfully. BIFAN announced that all seats for the “AI Frontier”—a newly established film invitation section this year—were sold out, and that tickets for the AI International Conference were sold out in advance. The festival plans to take the lead as a hub at the forefront of the AI industry for the first time in its history.
Through its distinctive programming, BIFAN has established itself as a world-class festival for the fantastic genre. Recently, it has also taken steps to build an AI creative ecosystem, drawing attention for its efforts to keep pace with the evolving content landscape.