28th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival, open contest for domestic and foreign feature and short films

The 28th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN) will open an open call for entries for domestic and foreign feature and short films starting at midnight on Monday, January 1, 2024. The submission deadline is 24:00 on Monday, April 15th for short films and 24:00 on Tuesday, April 30th for feature films.

The conditions for entry are that the work must have been produced after January 1, 2023, and the running time must be less than 60 minutes for short films and more than 60 minutes for full-length films. In addition, it must be a work that has not yet been released in Korea, and is open to all works including horror, thriller, fantasy, science fiction, noir, comedy, (fake) documentary, romance, coming-of-age film, family film, as well as hybrid and experimental films that cannot be defined by genre. .

Entry application documents can be downloaded from the BIFAN online entry site. For inquiries, please contact the program team by phone or email. Short-length selections will be announced on the BIFAN website in May, and feature-length selections will be notified individually in May.

The selected works will be officially screened through sections such as ▲Bucheon Choice ▲Korean Fantastic ▲Mad Max ▲Adrenaline Ride ▲Metal Noir ▲Merry Go Round ▲Family in the Other World ▲Strange Homage ▲X-Large ▲Special Exhibition/Retrospective. Prize money and trophies will be awarded to winners in 17 categories. The selection is made by the BIFAN Program Selection Committee.

Korean films that debuted at BIFAN have shown success, receiving attention at domestic and international film festivals. In the case of the 27th Film Festival, representative examples included 'One in 10,000 Seconds', 'Her Hobby Life', 'Single Friend', 'Good.That.gu', and 'Hamjin Abi'.

'One Thousand Seconds' (directed by Kim Seong-hwan) won the Best Film Award at the 8th London Asian Film Festival, and was also officially invited to the New Director Competition section of the 6th Malaysia International Film Festival and the 47th Sao Paulo International Film Festival. 'Her Hobby Life' (directed by Ha Myung-mi) was invited to the 8th London Asian Film Festival, 3rd Jakarta Film Week, and 47th Sao Paulo International Film Festival in the New Director Competition section.

'Single Friend' (director Kim Soo-in) was presented at the 28th Aichi International Film Festival and Barcelona Asian Film Festival, 'Good.That.gu' (director Park Sang-min) was presented at the 18th London Korean Film Festival and 3rd Jakarta Film Week, and 'Sand Wind' (Director Park Jae-min) achieved good results at leading overseas film festivals, including being officially invited to the 53rd Rotterdam International Film Festival.

Not only feature films but also short films are receiving a lot of attention. 27th Film Festival 'Delivery Dancer's Gu', 'Ham Jin Abi', 'Burger Song Challenge', 'Jakdu', 'My Heart Is About to Burst', 'Archive Deposit', 'Tutor Teacher', 'Battery Mom', etc. It is true.

'Delivery Dancer's Sphere' (directed by Kim A-young) received the highest award, the Golden Nica, at the Prix Ars Electronica, the world's largest media art award. Director Kim A-young is the first Korean to receive the Golden Nica Award.

'Ham Jin-Abi' (director Sang-min Lee), a ghost story short film supported by BIFAN, received the grand prize at the 4th Sooryehan Hapcheon Film Festival and the Hondum People Award at the 6th Jeju Hondum Independent Film Festival, and was selected for the 46th Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival and the 4th It was invited to the Taiwan Short Film Festival, the 23rd Jeonbuk Independent Film Festival, Daegu Short Film Festival, and Geumcheon Fashion Film Festival.

Kim Min-ha, director of 'Burger Song Challenge', who received BIFAN's Other World Family Award, won the Grand Prize and Acting Award at the 4th Diversity Peace Film Festival and was invited to the London Short Film Festival and Swedish Short Film Day. 'Jakdu' (director Jeong Jae-yong) won the Audience Award at the 49th Seoul Independent Film Festival, and 'My heart feels like it's about to burst! 'Tutor Teacher' (directed by Koo Ja-ho) was invited to the 27th Fantasia International Film Festival, and 'Battery Mom' (directed by Jeon Seung-bae), which won BIFAN's Other World Family Award, was invited to the 39th Warsaw International Film Festival.

The 27th BIFAN in 2023 screened 262 films from 51 countries in theaters and online (Wave) under the slogan “Stay Strange.” The 28th BIFAN in 2024 is scheduled to be held in Bucheon City from July 4 to 14.

Reporter Ha-neul Lee, Ten Asia greenworld@tenasia.co.kr