[Edaily Starin Choi Hee-jae Reporter] The Asia Content & Film Market (ACFM), the official market of the Busan International Film Festival, held its first-ever integrated awards ceremony this year to highlight promising projects and startups in the Asian content industry.

On the 13th, ACFM held its first integrated “ACFM Awards Ceremony” in Event Room A of Hall 2 at BEXCO in Busan and announced this year’s winners and funding results. Spanning a total of 17 categories—including the Asia Film Fund (ACF), Busan Story Market (BSM), InnoAsia, Doc Square, and Asia Project Market (APM)—the event offers prize money totaling approximately 480 million won, as well as production and post-production support and invitations to international industry events.

Kim Young-deok, Chair of the ACFM, stated, “This is an occasion to highlight the potential demonstrated by these projects and the stories that will soon be brought to the world,” adding, “The ACFM Awards do not end in Busan. They will continue on to Jakarta, Manila, Oslo, and Bangkok.”

Awards were also presented that day for three international co-production projects involving Korean participation, which were announced last August as recipients of the ACF Co-Production Support Fund. Director Koji Fukada’s *Thank Goodness* received 60 million won, while Director Chakrawan Nintamrong’s *Rhizome* and Director Bu Junfeng’s *Trinity* each received 40 million won. The total amount of support provided was 140 million won.

Clay House’s *The Couple Next Door* and Ling Studio’s *Request for Kinship* were selected for the BSM Jogja Market IP Connection Award. Both works will be officially invited to the JAFF IP Connection at the Jogja Netpac Asia Film Festival in Indonesia.

InnoAsia selected startups poised to drive change in the film and video content industries. The InnoAsia MPS Award, which recognizes the most promising startup based on votes from industry professionals in attendance, was awarded to Taiwan’s “I’m Core.”

“Lumicraft” and “Reproduction” were selected for the AWS Awards. The AWS Awards provide AWS cloud vouchers worth 10 million won to support startups in validating their technologies and subsequent commercialization. Lumicraft unveiled “CastLink,” an AI casting platform that connects the entire process from actor discovery to contracts and settlements, while Reproduction introduced “FreeFlow,” a tool that supports screenplay analysis and the sharing of production data.

At the Docsquare Documentary WIP Showcase, the winners of the newly established Impact Asia Awards and Newstapa Awards were announced. The Impact Asia Awards went to three films: Director Ma Chi-hang’s “The Moon Is Watching You,” Director Jang Min-kyung’s “Blue,” and “Restless Farewell,” co-directed by Yang Nan and He Feiyun. Each film will receive $5,000.

“Restless Farewell” was also selected for the Newstapa Award. The film will receive 10 million won in production funding and the opportunity to premiere a 60-minute edited version on the Newstapa Together Foundation channel upon completion.

This year’s APM received a record-high 604 entries from 48 countries, with 30 projects from 17 countries participating as official projects. Among these, eight projects won awards across a total of 11 categories. In particular, *Goldfish* was officially invited to the APM as a recipient of this year’s ACF Feature-Length Independent Film Incubation Fund and participated in business meetings; it went on to win awards in three categories at this awards ceremony.

The Q Cinema Special Prize went to “Goldfish,” the debut feature project by director Aditya Ahmed. The Norway South Film Fund Award was presented to “Chronicle of Trivial Things” (working title) by director Tribeni Rai.

*Goldfish* was also selected for the Kongjjak Studio Award. The film garnered attention for its deep emotional sensitivity and delicate direction that connects human emotions to natural elements. The Kantana Pictures Award went to director Kim Jin-young’s *Monster Yong-hye*, recognized for its strong narrative and visual potential. The Kantana Virtual Production Award went to director Panu Ari’s *Fatima*, which explores dual identities, long-buried family secrets, and both geographical and inner journeys.

The Cathay Play Award went to Director Yen Hao-xuan’s *Uncle*, which, drawing on the director’s personal experiences, explores family, shame, and a sense of belonging in Taiwan’s rapidly changing society. The film was highly praised for portraying a character with an intellectual disability as a human being with desires, contradictions, and dignity.

Director Park Se-young’s *Satellite of Love* received the Songwon Award in recognition of its original story, vivid visual style, and ability to capture the complex context of love within a simple narrative. Director E. Del Mundo’s *Once Upon a Time in the Philippines* was selected for the ArteCino Award for its original analysis of structural violence and its exploration of the potential of individuals to resist it.

The VIPO Award also went to “Goldfish.” It was recognized for its fresh story exploring identity amid a changing environment and for its production potential, which stemmed from close collaboration between the director and producer.

Director Reza Rahadian’s *Kasparina* received the CJ ENM Award in recognition of how it expanded the director’s most personal story into a family drama with universal appeal. The APM Busan Award went to *Chronicle of Trivial Things* (working title). With this, *Chronicle of Trivial Things* (working title) claimed two awards.

This year’s ACFM connected the achievements of each program—ranging from project development and production support to original IP transactions, new technology demonstrations, and the social impact of documentaries—within a single industry ecosystem. At APM, 133 companies participated in 746 business meetings, while at BSM, 136 companies participated in 520 business meetings. ACF supported a total of 15 projects through four funds.

A total of 45 companies participated in InnoAsia, with a cumulative attendance of 1,180 people for the short film special screenings and 11 sessions. Meanwhile, Doc Square drew a cumulative total of 906 participants across 10 sessions and 3 special screenings. At the InnoAsia Startup Awards, 3 companies received awards in 2 categories, and Cinema by Brand announced its first 3 selected projects.