Busan 2015: BIFF Goes The Distance With Jam-Packed 20th Edition

Pierce Conran, Contributor; Seoul, South Korea (@pierceconran)

August 25 2015, 11:30 PM

For its 20th edition, the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) has cooked up something pretty special, as it is set to deliver a jam-packed lineup sure to satisfy viewers of all tastes, and then some. Opening with the vivid Indian youth drama Zubaan on October 1st and closing out with the sprawling Chinese indie Mountain Cry on October 10th, BIFF has programmed 304 titles from 75 countries, of which 121 are premieres (94 world, 27 international).

Heavy hitters from Cannes feature prominently, with Hou Hsia-hsien's The Assassin, Jia Zhangke's Mountains May Depart and Koreeda Hirokazu's Our Little Sister booked as gala screenings, while Jacques Audiard's Palme d'Or winner Dheepan will also feature alongside Dennis Villeneuve's Sicario, Yorgos Lanthimos' The Lobster, Jeremy Saulnier's Green Room, Paolo Sorrentino's Youth and Grimur Hakonarson's Rams, among others, in other sections.

Many big Korean names return to Cannes this year, with festival and commercial favorites such as Shin Su-won's Madonna, Hong Won-chan's Office, Hong Sangsoo's Right Now, Wrong Then, Ryoo Seung-wan's Veteran, and Choi Dong-hoon's Assassination. The festival will also feature new Korean films from Jung Ji-woo (Eungyo, 2012), Jung Sung-il (Cafe Noir, 2009) and O Muel (Jiseul, 2012), as well as two new films from the Korean Academy of Film Arts (School Girl and The Sheperd). A total of 33 Korean features will have their world premieres at BIFF this year.

Asian film fans will also have the opportunity to check out new films by Johnny To (Office), Sono Sion (The Virgin Psychics). S.S. Rajamouli (Baahubali: The Beginning) and Cheang Pou-soi (SPL 2: A Time for Consequence).

ScreenAnarchy is excited to hit the ground running at BIFF and we'll be sure to break down this expansive program further in the weeks to come.