The 31st Busan Film Festival opens tomorrow: world premiere of Majid Majidi’s “Midday Meal” in the competition with new “A-list” status

Tomorrow, on 6 October, the 31st edition of the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) opens in Busan, South Korea, and will last until 15 October. The films will be shown at the Busan Cinema Center and at 7 other cinemas, 31 screens in total. This is the first edition after the festival’s elevation to the “A-list” of the International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF), a decision taken in March 2026.

The biggest news of this edition is the new status of the main prize: the winner of the Busan Award now automatically qualifies to compete for the Oscar in the best international film category. The American Academy recognises only six festivals with this privilege — Busan, Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance and Toronto, as South Korea’s official website, Korea.net, reports.

This year’s programme includes 315 films from 59 countries, among them 95 world premieres. The opening film is “The Table: Day and Night” by Kim Jong-kwan. In the competition section, which is held for the second year in a row, 14 films compete, among them the world premiere of “Midday Meal” by the Iranian director Majid Majidi (“Children of Heaven”) — his first ever visit to Korea.

Meanwhile, the “Icons” section, dedicated to the newest films of the world’s best-known directors, shows a record 36 titles: among them “Fjord” by Cristian Mungiu (winner of the Palme d’Or at Cannes), “All of a Sudden” by Ryusuke Hamaguchi (Cannes’ top prize), as well as “Possible Love” by Lee Chang-dong and “Nowhere to Lay My Eyes” by Hong Sang-soo. Taking part in the festival are Isabelle Huppert, Christine Hakim and Alfonso Cuarón (with his son Jonás at the opening ceremony), Ann Hui receives the Camellia Award, while Michelle Yeoh is honoured with the Asian filmmaker of the year award.