The 29th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN, Festival Director Shin Chul) is accepting sun for international short and feature film submissions from Monday, January 1, 2025 at 00:00 am. The submission deadline for short and feature films 24:00 on Tuesday, April 15 (KST).

Entries must have been produced after January 1, 2024. The running time should be less than 50 minutes for shorts and more than 50 minutes for features. Entries should not have been released in Korea. Calls for submissions are open to all kind of horror, thriller, fantasy, science fiction, noir, comedy, (fake) documentary, coming-of-age, family, and other genre-bending hybrid and experimental films. We anticipate the submission of many unique works with provocative themes and new styles.

Entry can be made through BIFAN’s online submission site (https://vp.eventival.com/bifan/2025). For inquiries, please contact the program team at +82-32-327-6313/ext. 105, 132 or email (Feature: films@bifan.kr, Short: short@bifan.kr) Only selected entrants for feature and short will be contacted respectively via email by the end of May, 2025.

The films will be selected by BIFAN Program Selection Committee and will be officially screened in the following sections: ¡ãBucheon Choice, ¡ãKorean Fantastic, ¡ãMad MaxX, ¡ãAdrenaline Ride, ¡ãMetal Noir, ¡ãMerry-Go-Round, ¡ãOdd Family, ¡ãStrange Homage, ¡ãXL, ¡ãSpecial Programs/Retrospectives. Cash prizes and trophies will be awarded to the winners in 17 categories.

Korean films that premiered at BIFAN have attracted significant attention at both Korean and international film festivals. Among the representative films from the 28th edition of the festival are Idiot Girls and School Ghost: School Anniversary, Pig That Survived Foot-and-Mouth Disease, Rhapsody for the Dead, and The Unrighteous.

Idiot Girls and School Ghost: School Anniversary, directed by Kim Min-ha was officially selected for the 57th Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival, the 24th Kaohsiung Film Festival, and the 4th Jakarta Film Week. The film won two awards at BIFAN in 2024, including Korean Fantastic Best Director and Watcha’s Pick for Korean Fantastic. Pig That Survived Foot-and-Mouth Disease, directed by Hur Bum-wook, was invited to the 57th Sitges International Film Festival, the 34th FANCINE Fantastic Film Festival Malaga, the 17th Asia Pacific Film Awards, the 21st Hong Kong Asian Film Festival, the 9th London Asian Film Festival, among others. The film won the Best Film Award at the 50th Seoul Independent Film Festival, becoming the first feature-length animated film to win the main prize. The Unrighteous by director Kim Seon-kuk and Rhapsody for the Dead by director Kim Hyun-jun were invited to the 9th London Asian Film Festival in the 'Halloween Horror Special' category.

In addition, many of the BIFAN films were released in theaters this year, attracting significant attention from audiences. The closing film Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In (directed by Soi Cheang), Worlds Apart (directed by Seta Natsuki), above mentioned Idiot Girls and School Ghost: School Anniversary (directed by Kim Min-ha), You Will Die in 6 Hours (directed by Lee Yun-seok), Rhapsody for the Dead (directed by Kim Hyun-jun), The Unrighteous (directed by Kim Seon-kuk), Helpless (directed by Jeon Seungpyo), and Sandstorm (directed by Jae Min Park).

In 2024, the 28th BIFAN was the first film festival in Korea to establish an international competition for AI films. The festival showcased innovative future solutions for the film industry through the BIFAN+ AI Filmmaking Workshop and the BIFAN+ AI International Conference. Over the course of 11 days, 262 films from 49 countries were screened on 15 screens in 8 cinemas, as well as through online streaming on Wavve, demonstrating that audience interest in BIFAN remains robust. The occupancy rate reached 75.0%, marking a significant increase of 14.7% from 60.3% at the 27th edition. A total of 69,238 tickets were issued, reflecting a 3.0% rise from 67,213 tickets issued at the 27th edition in 2023.

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