[Edaily Starin Choi Hee-jae Reporter] “Many of the international filmmakers I meet express envy toward our film festival, mentioning the Busan International Film Festival’s A-list selection and its eligibility for Academy Award submissions.”

Jeong Han-seok, Executive Chairman of the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), made these remarks as he wrapped up the 31st edition of the festival, citing the strengthening of its status as an international film festival as a major achievement.

In a written interview with E-Daily on the 16th, Executive Chairman Jeong shared his reflections on the conclusion of the 31st Busan International Film Festival and his thoughts on the future. He noted that these two institutional changes had a positive impact on the supply of films for the competition section and expressed his determination to present an even more advanced film festival next year.

◇Impact of A-List and Academy Award Submission Eligibility… “Next Year’s Competition Section Will Be Even Better”
This year’s Busan International Film Festival was the first to be held since it was designated as an A-List film festival by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF), and the winner of the Busan Award Grand Prize—the top prize in the competition section—was granted eligibility to be submitted for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film. Notably, the Busan International Film Festival is the only film festival in Asia that can grant competition section winners eligibility for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film. Globally, there are six film festivals that meet this criterion, including the Busan International Film Festival, the Cannes Film Festival, the Berlin International Film Festival, the Venice International Film Festival, the Sundance Film Festival, and the Toronto International Film Festival.

Executive Committee Chair Jeong explained, “The A-List selection and the eligibility of Busan Award Grand Prize winners for Academy Award submission have already generated significant international impact,” adding, “It seems this positive perception has also extended to entrants in the competition section.” He noted that securing films for this year’s competition section was much easier compared to last year, when the section was first established. He added, “We anticipate that things will improve even further next year.”

He noted, “It’s not something that can be achieved simply by declaring that we will establish a distinct identity for Asian cinema,” and predicted that the Busan International Film Festival’s distinctiveness would emerge naturally through the process of discovering excellent films, rather than by prioritizing a specific direction.

He continued, “This was a year that demonstrated the rising prominence not only of films from Korea, China, and Japan but also from Central Asia and Indonesia,” adding, “I expect that the films among these that win the Busan Awards will naturally attract global attention.”

The 31st Busan International Film Festival, held from the 6th to the 15th, attracted a total of 277,027 visitors. Of these, 200,043 were film attendees—marking the first time in 10 years, since 2015, that the number of film attendees has exceeded 200,000. Executive Committee Chair Jeong emphasized that the structural improvements implemented by this year’s festival contributed to the recovery in attendance.

“This has been a meaningful year in which the many structural improvements implemented at this year’s festival yielded positive results,” he said, adding, “The most significant achievement is that we surpassed 200,000 attendees for the first time in 10 years.” He went on to assess, “We can say that the Busan International Film Festival has finally reconnected with its audience.”

However, providing sufficient space to accommodate the increased number of attendees remains a challenge. Executive Committee Chair Jeong noted, “This year, large crowds filled the area around the Busan Cinema Center,” adding, “We have concluded that we need to create more thoughtfully designed outdoor spaces so that visitors can enjoy the festival comfortably.”

◇Audience Numbers Recover to 200,000… This Year’s Achievements and Next Year’s Challenges
The presence of female filmmakers was also prominent in this year’s guest lineup. Female filmmakers representing various regions—including Yang Ziqing, Isabelle Huppert, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Christine Hakim—visited Busan.

Executive Committee Chair Jeong commented, “The most distinctive feature of this year’s guest lineup was the invitation of legendary female filmmakers. Iconic female filmmakers representing their respective regions visited Busan,” adding, “I believe this naturally and faithfully reflected the emphasis that international film festivals place on highlighting female filmmakers.”

Global OTT titles, such as Disney+’s *The Remarried Queen* and the Netflix film *Possible Love*, made their presence felt through screenings, on-stage events, and large-scale on-site promotions. Executive Committee Chair Jeong described the relationship between OTT platforms and the film festival as that of “tension-filled partners.” He explained, “Since the Busan International Film Festival is a festival centered on traditional theatrical films, there is always a certain degree of tension with OTT platforms,” but added, “At the same time, there is always a synergistic effect.”

He continued, “We have achieved excellent results on multiple occasions through collaborations with OTT platforms such as Netflix and Disney+. Director Lee Chang-dong’s *Possible Love* is a good example.” He emphasized, “The Busan International Film Festival will continue to pursue the path of a ‘tension-filled partnership’ in a positive sense.”

This year’s opening and closing ceremony red carpets drew attention with entrance music created using artificial intelligence (AI). Executive Committee Chair Jeong distinguished between his personal views on AI technology and his role as executive committee chair.

Chairman Jeong stated, “Personally, I oppose AI,” but added, “As the executive chairman of a film festival, I am constantly aware of the trend toward AI.” However, he explained that the relationship between the Busan International Film Festival and AI-generated works or AI-submitted entries has not yet reached a significant level, and that the festival will address this issue in the future based on specific circumstances and conditions.

When asked what he would like to improve for next year’s 32nd festival, he cited the ticket reservation system. Executive Committee Chair Jeong said, “Since this year was the first time we introduced a queue system, we built it using the most basic, stable, and conservative approach,” adding, “We are already deliberating on how to unveil a more robust queue system next year.”

He cited the competition section as an area for enhancement. As the Busan Awards have begun to attract international attention by securing eligibility for Academy Award submissions, the goal is to ensure this does not remain a one-time achievement but rather to develop it into an influential section.

Executive Committee Chair Jeong emphasized, “Although the competition section is receiving rapid attention both domestically and internationally, we are continuously striving to make it an even more influential section,” adding, “If the festival becomes one that is loved by both audiences and filmmakers, that would truly be the most ideal form of a film festival.”