Busan 2026: A Guide to Its Juries, Films and Awards

To follow the 2026 Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) results clearly, readers need to distinguish Competition from awards for documentaries, shorts and Vision – Asia films. The Busan Award belongs to the main competition; Mecenat, Sonje, NETPAC and FIPRESCI have separate eligibility rules and juries. An official discrepancy over the number of competitors also remains unresolved.

The 31st edition is scheduled for October 6–15, 2026, at the Busan Cinema Center and other locations across the city. Since schedules and admission conditions may change, check the official BIFF timetable before making plans.

The discrepancy between 13 and 14 films

On September 17, the Competition jury announcement said that its seven members would evaluate 13 films. The full 2026 selection page, however, still described Competition as comprising 14 titles.

The visible lineup named 13: *Beach Fictions*, *Between Two Lovers*, *The Day After Sunday*, *The First Taste of Loneliness*, *Hilol*, *IBUKU*, *Long Long Night*, *Midday Meal*, *Satoko Always*, *The Sea Speaks His Name*, *Shaving*, *silver express* and *To Be Ordinary*. They represent Korea, Japan, China, Taiwan, Iran, Uzbekistan and Indonesia, including co-productions.

The safest approach is to provisionally use the 13 titles actually listed and disclose the inconsistency, without guessing whether a film was added, removed or affected by an updating error. The official page should be checked again before the winners are announced.

Who decides the Busan Award

Launched in 2025, Competition enters its second edition with seven Asian film professionals. Jury President Zhang Yimou is a Chinese filmmaker who has won Berlin’s Golden Bear, two Golden Lions in Venice and the Cannes Jury Grand Prix.

He is joined by directors Bi Gan, Ishikawa Kei and July Jung; actor and filmmaker Moon Choi; producer Tran Thi Bich Ngoc; and actor Samal Yeslyamova. The panel brings together directing, acting and production experience from China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam and Kazakhstan, but acts as one jury for Competition.

Bi Gan competed in the inaugural edition with *Resurrection* and received the Artistic Contribution Award in 2025. Moon Choi sits on the jury in the same year that *Bedford Park*, which she stars in and co-produced, appears in Flash Forward—not Competition.

The five main-competition prizes

Busan Award is the umbrella name for five categories: Best Film, Best Director, Special Jury Prize, Best Actor and Artistic Contribution. The announcement states that their combined prize money is KRW 110 million.

These honors are reserved for Competition entries. A Wide Angle documentary, short film or Vision feature does not automatically contend for Best Film merely because it is in the festival program.

“Best Actor” appears as one category in the official English text. Artistic Contribution recognizes an artistic achievement without assigning it beforehand to a fixed craft; it should therefore not be described as exclusively a cinematography, editing or sound award.

Mecenat and Sonje: documentaries and shorts

The parallel-award jury announcement defines two Wide Angle tracks. The BIFF Mecenat Award honors Korean and Asian documentaries in the documentary competition. Rintu Thomas, Kim Taeil and Zhou Hao form its jury. One Korean and one Asian winner each receive KRW 10 million.

The Sonje Award covers Korean and Asian short films competing in Wide Angle. Its jurors are Anuparna Roy, Abinash Bikram Shah and Lee Ranhee; each winner also receives KRW 10 million.

Wide Angle contains Korean and Asian short-film competitions and a documentary competition, as well as a documentary showcase. Placement under the broad label is therefore insufficient: the competitive subsection determines eligibility.

NETPAC and FIPRESCI in Vision – Asia

The NETPAC Award recognizes an outstanding Asian film in Vision – Asia. Nina Kochelyaeva, Matthew Poon and Lee Dongha decide it as the jury associated with the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema.

The FIPRESCI Award honors an Asian film in the same section for exceptional artistry and a bold artistic vision. Critics Ma Xingxu, Teresa Vena and Roh Chul-hwan select the winner. These are two independent panels with different institutional identities and stated criteria.

The selection lists 12 films in Vision – Asia and another 12 in Vision – Korea. The official wording for both awards specifically names Vision – Asia; eligibility should not be extended to the Korean division without festival confirmation.

How to follow the results without confusion

When a result appears, identify the film’s section first and its jury second: Competition leads to the Busan Award; competitive Wide Angle documentaries to Mecenat; competitive Korean and Asian shorts to Sonje; and Vision – Asia to NETPAC or FIPRESCI. Other BIFF honors are not subdivisions of these awards.

In the schedule, “GV” means Guest Visit. BIFF warns that these events can change without notice and may not always provide English interpretation. The page also explains subtitle codes, age ratings, photography and video restrictions, and late-entry rules. Confirm current conditions through the official link.

The festival lists its Busan office at 3rd Floor, BIFF HILL, Busan Cinema Center, 120 Suyeonggangbyeon-daero, Haeundae-gu, Busan 48058, Korea. It is an arrival reference for the complex, not an indication that every screening takes place there.