¡ãFestival Director SHIN Chul

The 29th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN, Festival Director: SHIN Chul) has come to a grand close.

The closing ceremony was held on July 11 at the Main Theater of Bucheon City Hall in Wonmi-gu. The event was hosted by actress Kim Joo-ryoung, who met audiences through her appearance in the BIFAN film Sisterhood.

Festival Director SHIN Chul opened the ceremony by reflecting on the festival’s achievements. “BIFAN’s slogan is ‘Stay Strange,’” he said. “Our festival is incredibly flexible. There’s so much we can do — we are a boundaryless festival.”

He added, “Due to various political and economic challenges this year, it may have felt like the festival was slightly scaled down. However, we achieved an astounding seat occupancy rate of 86.2%, which shows just how passionately fans supported the BIFAN 2025.”

This year’s BIFAN gained particular attention for the establishment of the AI Film Institute Center in Bucheon and its ambitious goal to train 10,000 AI filmmakers over the next five years. SHIN stated, “Everything in the film industry is changing — and already has. It’s no longer a competition of capital, but one of imagination. That change is starting in Bucheon in 2025. I am confident that what happens in Bucheon this year will go down in the history of Korean cinema.”

He concluded by referencing A Train with the Face of President Yoon, the satirical cartoon that won the Gold Prize at the 2022 Bucheon International Comics Festival hosted by the KOREA MANWHA CONTENTS AGENCY. “After that, the agency’s budget was cut by 80%. It must be restored promptly so that we can continue our work. I will do everything I can to help make that happen,” he declared.

“We have come to realize that without democracy, there is no cinema, no culture,” he added. “Since the end of last year through today, we have all had a truly profound experience.”

At the closing ceremony, the Korean Fantastic section awarded Classroom Delusions by director SEO Eun-young with three major prizes: the Watcha’s Pick Award for Feature, the Nonghyup Distribution Award, and Fantastic Actors (KWON Yong-keun). Teaching Practice: Idiot Girls and School Ghost 2 by director KIM Min-ha also performed well, winning Fantastic Actors (HAN Seon-hwa) and the Feature Korean Fantastic Film. The Korean Fantastic Audience Award went to Manok, while the Korean Fantastic Best Director went to KIM Bo-sol for The Square.

¡ãThe Ugly Stepsister by Actor Lea Myren

In the international competition section, Bucheon Choice, The Ugly Stepsister swept both the Audience Award and the Best of Bucheon. In her acceptance speech, actress Lea Myren said, “Our film is about what it means to grow up in a world that tells you you're wrong just for being who you are. I hope that our film will spark essential and healthy conversations here in Korea as well — about how we talk about women’s bodies and the constant pressure women feel.” She also gave a special shoutout to her boyfriend who attended the event with her, drawing warm attention.

The Jury’s Choice was awarded to Together, while the Best Director Choice was presented to Bruno FORZANI, Hélène CATTET for Reflection in a Dead Diamond.

The red carpet welcomed many stars who delighted the audience, including actress and host Kim Joo-ryoung, as well as the cast of the closing film The Go-to Restaurant: JOO Hyun-young, PARK Kyung-hye, CHA Woo-jin, KIM Me-kyung, LEE Soo-mi, and HYUN Woo-seok.

¡á PRESS MATERIALS
For downloadable materials, please visit our official drive:

BIFAN 2025 Press Drive

If you need additional materials or formats, please feel free to contact us at foreignpress@bifan.kr

¡á INFORMATION
▪ Title: 29th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival
▪ Characteristics: Non-competitive international film festival with a few competition sections
▪ Scale: 221 films from 41 countries (104 Features, 91 Shorts, 11 AI Films, 26 XR works)
▪ Date: July 3 (THU)~July 13 (SUN), 11 days
▪ Venues: Bucheon City Hall, CGV Sopung, Bucheon Art Bunker B39, Bucheon Arts Center, Webtoon Convergence Center

¡á Contact
▪ Email: foreignpress@bifan.kr
▪ Website: www.bifan.kr/eng/

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