The Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) opened its 31st edition on Tuesday 6 October 2026 at the Busan Cinema Center in Haeundae-gu. Over the next ten days, until Thursday 15 October, it will screen 247 films from 59 countries in its official selection.

The guest list is the strongest in years. Michelle Yeoh is back in Busan for the first time in 15 years. Zhang Yimou is president of the jury. Alfonso Cuarón is making his first trip to Korea. And the festival arrives with something new to sell: official A-list status.

A-list status and an Oscar route

According to South Korea's Kyunghyang Shinmun, BIFF has this year been officially certified as an "A-list" festival by FIAPF, the International Federation of Film Producers Associations. FIAPF accreditation is the industry's benchmark for top-tier competitive festivals.

There is a second upgrade. The Busan Awards Grand Prize — the competition's top prize, introduced only last year — will from this edition carry eligibility for submission to the Academy Awards' International Feature Film category. For filmmakers across Asia, that turns a Busan win into a potential route to the Oscars race.

Together, the two changes put Busan more squarely in conversation with Cannes, Venice and Berlin as a place where serious careers are made, not just showcased.

Zhang Yimou leads the jury

Chairing the competition jury is Zhang Yimou, the Chinese director behind some of the most celebrated films in modern Chinese cinema. Kyunghyang described him as a "master director" — a fair summary of a career spanning four decades.

His presence underlines the festival's pan-Asian reach. Busan has long positioned itself as the region's central meeting point for film, and a jury president of Zhang's stature makes that case for it.

Michelle Yeoh: Asian Filmmaker of the Year

The festival named Michelle Yeoh its Asian Filmmaker of the Year. Yeoh walked the red carpet at the opening ceremony on 6 October, according to Yonhap News Agency photographs carried by Kyunghyang.

Her last visit to Busan was 15 years ago. Since then she has become one of the most recognisable actors in the world, and the first Asian woman to win the Academy Award for Best Actress. Honouring her now is both a tribute and a statement about how far Asian cinema's global profile has travelled.

Fan Bingbing also appeared on the opening-night red carpet.

Cuarón's first trip to Korea

Alfonso Cuarón, a two-time Academy Award winner for Best Director, is attending with his son Jonas Cuarón. Kyunghyang reported that it is the Mexican director's first visit to Korea, and that he will give a masterclass among other events.

Maggie Gyllenhaal, the actor turned director, is also in Busan with her directorial work.

Opening night: small on purpose

BIFF's opening film comes from Korean director Kim Jong-kwan, who has once again built a film around a café and conversation. It is an omnibus of four vignettes, each led by a pair of actors: Kim Min-ha and Joo Jong-hyuk, Han Sun-hwa and Jang Ryul, Shim Eun-kyung and Lee Hee-joon, and Jeon So-young and Kim Dong-hwi. In a café that changes colour between day and night, strangers brush past each other, talk, meet and part.

It returns to territory Kim explored in his 2017 film about four pairs seated face to face in a café.

Some observers noted that the choice is smaller in scale than the previous two openers — Kim Sang-man's Before, Ran at the 29th edition and a Park Chan-wook film at the 30th. The festival defended the choice.

Kim told the opening press conference he "felt grateful that a festival with global stature had raised its hand for the importance of the small and the everyday". Programmer Jung Ji-hye said the film showed Kim's creative world had "reached maturity", adding: "I do not believe its meaning and value are in any way small."

The Assassin(s) shadow

Not everything went to script. A row over allegations from political circles of "historical distortion" in the film Assassin(s) spilled into the festival.

According to Kyunghyang, actors Yoo Hae-jin and Lee Min-ho decided not to attend the opening ceremony. An outdoor stage greeting for the film, scheduled for 7 October, was cancelled, as was an Actors House talk featuring Lee. The festival said the cancellations were at the request of the production company, Hybe Media Corp, citing the safety of audiences and guests and the smooth running of events.

When the subject came up at the opening-film press conference, Jung stepped in before Kim could answer: "At this occasion we wish to focus on the work. We ask for your understanding."

What to watch for this week

The big questions over the next ten days are about prizes and positioning. Which film takes the first Busan Awards Grand Prize with an Oscar pathway attached? How does Zhang Yimou's jury read the competition? And can the festival keep the focus on films rather than controversy?

Quick facts

Edition: 31st Busan International Film Festival

Dates: 6–15 October 2026

Venue hub: Busan Cinema Center, Haeundae-gu

Official selection: 247 films from 59 countries

Jury president: Zhang Yimou

Asian Filmmaker of the Year: Michelle Yeoh

Notable guests: Alfonso Cuarón, Jonas Cuarón, Maggie Gyllenhaal

Status: FIAPF-certified A-list festival; top prize now carries eligibility for submission to the Oscars' International Feature Film category