Opening a New Future for Global Genre Films
BIFAN Announces Winners of the 19th NAFF Project Market!

- Asia's largest genre film market successfully concludes its four-day run with 676 business meetings involving 65 companies from 21 countries.
- BIFAN+ Awards Ceremony held on Tuesday, July 7, honoring 18 outstanding projects for their original worldviews.

The 30th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (Festival Director SHIN Chul, hereafter BIFAN) has announced this year’s 18 winners of the 19th Network of Asian Fantastic Films (hereafter NAFF) Project Market. This marked the successful conclusion of four days of global business meetings and pitching sessions.

Participating 29 countries, the forefront genre film market bridging East and West
Held from Saturday, July 4th to Tuesday, July 7th, this year’s NAFF Project Market served as a platform for global exchange. Featuring 32 carefully selected projects from 29 countries, the event offered a glimpse into the latest trends in genre cinema and explored new business opportunities.
The Project Spotlight section—a program that highlights a specific country each year—once again highlighted Korea for the second consecutive year, providing intensive support for K-genre films. In addition, Focus: France, supported by the Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée (CNC), Unifrance and the Embassy of France in Korea, joined forces with internationally renowned partner programs, including Sitges Film Festival (Fanpitch), Ventana Sur (Fantastic!), and the Nordic Genre Invasion. They created an extensive international network that connected Asia with genre film communities across Europe and the Americas.
Throughout the four-day event, producers, investors, distributors, sales agents, and industry professionals from around the world participated in 676 business meetings, generating a vibrant marketplace for future genre film collaborations.

The winners revealed, recognized for their original worldviews and industrial potential
The winners, marking the finale of the market, were unveiled at the BIFAN+ Awards Ceremony held at the Webtoon Convergence Center Convention Hall on Tuesday, July 7. Selected through a rigorous evaluation process, this year’s award recipients earned widespread acclaim from both jurors and industry professionals for their bold imagination and compelling narratives that resonate with contemporary audiences.

A total of 18 projects have secured practical springboards for production. This includes AGAPE, directed by MIYAHARA Takuya and SAKUMA Keisuke, which won the top honor, the Bucheon Award, sponsored by Bucheon City. Other awards provided cash production support (7 projects), post-production support (8 projects), and in-kind support (3 projects). Meanwhile, this year’s SBA Awards will provide DCP packaging exclusively for all three 'Work in Progress' projects.
This year’s final jury consisted of leading industry experts from the global genre film scene, enhancing fairness and expertise. The three members of the final jury—Evrim ERSOY (Head Programmer of Beyond Fest), LEE Dongha (CEO of REDPETER Films), and Tia HASIBUAN (Co-founder of Come and See Pictures). Reflecting on this year’s selection, the jury stated, “The calibre of the projects was incredibly high, and it was incredibly encouraging to see so many incredible filmmakers with unique and inventive ideas that truly make the future an exciting prospect. And it is further proof that NAFF Project Market is instrumental in keeping the Asian genre scene thriving, healthy and energised.”
Over the past 18 years, NAFF has established itself as a core hub for global genre cinema by discovering over 500 projects and leading to 121 practical film productions. Building on this legacy, NAFF will continue to provide systematic and ongoing support for this year’s award-winning projects, helping them progress from development to production and ultimately to international audiences.

Meanwhile, the 30th BIFAN, which kicked off on Thursday, July 2, continues through Sunday, July 12, welcoming audiences across Bucheon with an exciting lineup of screenings and events.

[19th NAFF Project Market Winners]

¡Ü Cash Awards

Category	Title	Director	Country
Bucheon Award	AGAPE	MIYAHARA Takuya, SAKUMA Keisuke	Japan
CNC Award	Strange Root	LAM Li Shuen, Mark CHUA	Singapore, Indonesia, Germany, Netherlands, Philippines
NAFF Award	Whistler	Gudmund HELMSDAL	Faroe Islands
Asian Discovery Award	My Missing Half	Rodiell VELOSO	Philippines, Japan
Korean Discovery Award	Dawn Chorus	CHOI lida	Korea
Hive Filmworks Award	SLAUGHTERGROUND	Sidharta TATA	Indonesia
VIPO Award	Dawn Chorus	CHOI lida	Korea

¡Ø Special Mention | Incarnation (Director: Nicole Midori WOODFORD, Country: Singapore, Japan)

¡Ü Jury Statement

¡Ü Post-production Support Awards

Category	Title	Director	Country
SBA Award	Dangling	CHANG Jung-chi	Taiwan
	Ella Arcangel: Ballad of Tooth and Claw	Mervin MALONZO	Philippines
	What The Darkness Keeps	Jimmy HENDERSON	Cambodia, Pakistan
Mocha Chai Award	SLAUGHTERGROUND	Sidharta TATA	Indonesia
	What The Darkness Keeps	Jimmy HENDERSON	Cambodia, Pakistan
Kantana Post Award	No Vampires in Korea	PARK Hyung Chul	Korea, Japan
Abnormal Studio Award	SLAUGHTERGROUND	Sidharta TATA	Indonesia
Badclay VFX Innovation Award	My Missing Half	Rodiell VELOSO	Philippines, Japan

Category	Title	Director	Country
Sitges FanPitch Award	Liar's Paradox	Zaida BERGROTH	Finland, France
TCCF Award	Idols	Matt HALSALL	Korea, Japan, United Kingdom
Ventana Sur Fantastic! Award	Only Rudolf Knows	LEE Yoon Jung	Korea

¡á Festival Overview
Title : 30th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival
Date : July 2 (Thu) – July 12 (Sun), 2026 (11 days)
Type : Non-competitive international film festival introducing partial competition
Scale : 321 films from 50 countries (170 features, 85 shorts, 38 AI films, 28 XR contents)
Main Venue : Bucheon City Hall, Korean Manhwa Museum, CGV Sopung, LOTTE Cinema Bucheon, Bucheon Art Bunker B39, Bucheon Astronomical Science Museum

Please contact the BIFAN PR Team for more details.
E. press@bifan.kr | M. +82-10-7367-6313 | T. +82-32-327-6313 (135, 140)

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