[E-Daily Starin Choi Hee-jae Reporter] With about a month to go before the opening of the 31st Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), the festival has announced its ticket reservation schedule.

According to the Busan International Film Festival on the 2nd, ticket sales for the opening and closing ceremonies will begin at 2:00 p.m. on the 17th. Ticket sales for Open Cinema’s outdoor screenings, Midnight Fashion’s late-night screenings, Actors’ House, and Community BIFF screenings will also take place on the same day. Additionally, ticket sales for general screenings, Cine Class, and Master Class will begin at 2:00 p.m. on the 21st.
The Busan International Film Festival has been screening “barrier-free” films—featuring audio descriptions for the visually impaired and closed captions for the hearing impaired—to create an inclusive viewing environment for all members of society. This year’s lineup includes the Gala Presentation *Dora*; the Special Programs *Everything Everywhere All at Once* and *Sandywara*; the Icon section’s *Fjord*; the Vision – Korea section’s *Bayler* and *Beyond the Horizon of Love*; “Today’s Korean Cinema – Special Premiere” featuring “The Jeong Family” and “Regrets of a Generation,” “Flash Forward” featuring “Sad Girls” and “Bedford Park,” and “Wide Angle – Documentary Showcase” featuring “The Color of the Wind,” among others—a total of 11 films will be presented to audiences in barrier-free versions.

Following last year’s initiative, the festival is expanding its dedicated on-site ticket counters to lower the barriers to movie-going for those with limited digital access. A limited number of seats will be sold on-site to seniors aged 65 and older (born in 1961 or earlier) and people with disabilities. This year, the service has been expanded to all BIFF ticket offices, where tickets for general screenings taking place on the same day or the following day can be purchased. However, on the opening day, tickets for the following day’s screenings can only be purchased at the outdoor ticket office at the Busan Cinema Center.
The festival has launched the social contribution program “Warm Sharing” in an effort to evolve into a festival that fosters mutual growth. A portion of the ticket sales proceeds from films marked with a “three-leaf clover” symbol on the screening schedule will be donated to major welfare organizations such as the Community Chest of Korea and Good Neighbors. Audiences can participate in this charitable effort simply by watching these films. A total of 15 films are included in this year’s “Warm Sharing” initiative. Featured films include the Gala Presentation *Memories of That Girl* and the “Korean Cinema Today – Panorama” section’s *The Secret Behind the College Entrance Exam*, *Still Radiant*, *Handwritten*, and *The Final Interview*. Additionally, the “Wide Angle – Documentary Showcase” features *The Color of the Wind*, “Baby Jackfruit, Baby Guava,” and “Flowing Years”; the Window on Asian Cinema section features “Birds on Ice,” “Father’s Room,” “Not a Hero,” and “Four Seasons in Java”; and the Icon section includes “Back to Buenos Aires,” “Children on the Red Rock,” and “Tender Loving Care,” among others.

The screening schedule is set to be released at 5:00 PM on the 11th, and all ticket reservations will be handled through the Busan International Film Festival’s official website. During the festival, tickets will be available for purchase at the BIFF box office only for remaining or canceled seats.
Ticket cancellations and refunds are possible up to 60 minutes before the screening begins. Cancellations and refunds for pre-booked tickets can be processed online or at the BIFF box office, and refunds will be issued minus any cancellation fees incurred based on the time of cancellation.
The 31st Busan International Film Festival will be held from October 6 to October 15 at the Busan Cinema Center and various locations throughout Busan. Actress Kim Min-ha will host the opening ceremony.