The 29th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival has officially kicked off.

On June 10, the official press conference of the 29th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN, Festival Director: SHIN Chul) was held in the morning at Fantastic Cube in Bucheon and in the afternoon at the Baekbeom Kim Koo Memorial Hall in Seoul.
   
 
The press conference opened with welcome remarks from the newly appointed Organizing Chairperson CHANG Mihee, an introduction to this year’s festival by Festival Director SHIN Chul, and presentations on each section by the festival programmers. The spotlight was especially on the premiere of the official trailer and section highlights, produced using AI technology by Studio Freewillusion.

Bucheon Mayor CHO Yong-eek attended the Bucheon session of the press conference, adding significance to the event. Chairperson CHO Yong-eek expressed his gratitude to Chairperson CHANG Mihee and Festival Director SHIN Chul, saying, “When people are asked what comes to mind when they think of Bucheon, most mention the film festival. That shows how symbolically meaningful BIFAN has become.” he added, ‘With the President LEE naming “cultural powerhouse” as a key national agenda, it is time for Bucheon to reaffirm its role as a cultural hub.

He concluded by saying, “I hope BIFAN continues to grow into Korea’s representative film festival and becomes a festival for everyone to enjoy. I ask for your continued support and interest.”

Festival Chairperson CHANG Mihee expressed her sentiments by saying, “I am honored and delighted to serve as Co-Chair of the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival, a signature cultural event of Bucheon, a city of culture.” She added, “Over the past 28 years, the festival has achieved many great things. And we will continue to charge forward—toward the future, and then beyond.”
 

Festival Director Shin Chul declared that BIFAN has entered “AI Step 2” this year, following last year’s initial stage, and shared an ambitious goal to train 10,000 filmmakers over the next five years. He noted that BIFAN’s AI Film Education Center has already launched its programs this year.

Director Shin also referenced a famous remark by German filmmaker Werner Herzog, who once said, “Even after 4,500 years, computers will not make better films than I do.” He continued, “We trained an AI model using Herzog’s scripts, interviews, and other materials. The result was a screenplay titled About a Hero, which has been selected as this year’s Opening Film at BIFAN.”

Following Director Shin’s remarks, programmers Jin PARK and Martin LEE took the stage to present two of BIFAN’s key sections: ‘Bucheon Choice’ and ‘Korean Fantastic’ Features. For the second consecutive year, BIFAN will showcase films created with AI. Out of over 350 submissions, 12 AI-generated films have been selected to screen for BIFAN audiences.

The ‘Korean Fantastic’ section will present eight titles spanning a wide range of genres—including horror, thriller, drama, comedy, and animation—led by Sisterhood, which was selected for Cannes’ Fantastic 7 lineup. Programmer Lee Jung-yeop explained, “Our primary goal was to support and spotlight Korean cinema. We also made a conscious effort to include works by emerging directors, with an eye toward discovering new talent.”

 

Programmer Jongsuk Thomas NAM introduced a variety of sections that reflect BIFAN’s unique identity: ‘Adrenaline Ride’, dedicated to thrillers; ‘Merry-Go-Round’, which blends creativity and popular appeal; and ‘Odd Family’, a section that families can enjoy together.

This year’s ‘Act of Focus’ will spotlight LEE Byunghun. Programmer Martin LEE shared, “We’ve chosen LEE Byunghun, an actor renowned not only in Korea but internationally, as the focus of this year’s retrospective.” He added, “Audiences can look forward to a range of events, including screenings of his representative works and a special Mega Talk session.”

Other exciting sections include ‘B My Guest: Filmmakers R&K’, featuring works from the leading Korean production company Filmmakers R&K; ‘Body Horror: My Body Is Your Fantasy’, a collection of recent globally trending body horror films; ‘KIM Tae-yong: The Warmth of Gaze’, highlighting the heartfelt sensibilities of director KIM Tae-yong; and ‘Higashino Keigo’s Galileo: The Irresistible Genius’, which will introduce Korean audiences to works such as A Midsummer’s Equation and Silent Parade for the first time.

XR Curator PARK Boram introduced the second phase of the AI International Conference, who explained, “This year’s key XR theme is the convergence of AI and XR. You can look forward to a lineup featuring groundbreaking creative experiments and technological innovations from Korean artists.” Finally, programmer Kani Kim spoke about the short film section: “We received over 2,500 submissions and have selected 29 films through a highly competitive review process. Audiences can expect unconventional and boundary-pushing short films.”

He also introduced the ‘FantaCine’, which brings films directly to neighborhoods throughout Bucheon to foster closer engagement with local citizens. A total of 16 titles will be screened this year, and strong community participation is anticipated.

Having long expanded the horizons of Korean cinema by showcasing distinctive and experimental genre films, BIFAN continues to fulfill its mission in 2025. Amid growing concerns over the current state of Korean cinema, BIFAN remains committed to discovering and presenting innovative works that highlight the unique pleasures of the cinematic experience.

The 29th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival will open on July 3.