Entering its 22nd year, the Busan International Film Festival runs from 12-21 October and is once again putting on a big show that includes around 300 films, including well over a hundred world and international premieres. With so many unknown titles on show it's hard to know what will stick, but that's where the thrill of discovery comes in.
This year, ScreenAnarchy Asian Editor James Marsh and I have trawled through the lineup to offer up ten titles we're very excited to check out, from big new offerings from established Asian auteurs to indies from promising new names in the field.
Check out our picks in the gallery below and see you soon in Busan for films, seafood and soju!
Glass Garden
Serving as this year opening film, Glass Garden is the latest work from acclaimed filmmaker Shin Su-won, one of the best stylists and most unique voices in Korea’s indie realm. Following edgy works Pluto and Madonna, her new film feature Moon Geun-young as a scientist who retreats to the countryside to pursue her mysterious blood research. Expect plenty of memorable imagery and unique characterizations. - Pierce
Microhabit
Gwanghwamun Cinema, a collective of young Seoul-based filmmakers who have churning out films since 2012’s Sunshine Boys (also The King of Jogku and The Queen of Crime) return with Microhabit, the debut of Jeon Go-woon, the first woman to direct in the group. The film follows a poor housemaid, played by Esom of Scarlet Innocence who seeks out old friends when a rise in the price of cigarettes compels her to give up her accomodation. - Pierce
A Tiger in Winter
Lee Kwang-kuk returns to Busan with his third film, following his wry delights Romance Joe and A Matter of Interpretation. A former Hong Sangsoo assistant director, Lee shares his penchant for dialogue-based introspection while applying more situational humor and visual pizazz to his works. - Pierce
Mothers
Lee Dong-eun makes a quick return to Busan after his debut In Between Seasons premiered there last year, where it won the KNN Award. Mothers is also produced by the Myung Films Lab, the incubation arm of hit making Korean production company. The film features All About My Wife star LIM Soo-jung as a young widowed woman and her uneasy relationship with her teenage stepson. - Pierce
Butterfly Sleep
Take Care of My Cat director Jeong Jae-eun is back with Butterfly Sleep, her first narrative feature in 12 years. A Tokyo-set Korea-Japan co-production, the film features a rare leading role by Love Letter star Miho Nakayama as a middle-aged novelist who falls in love with a young Korean student. Jeong actually has two films in Busan this year, along with the documentary Ecology in Concrete, which follows her other architecture-focused non-fiction work. - Pierce
ajji
When a young girl is raped and left for dead, her ageing grandmother goes to the police, only to find they are unwilling to help her. It is revealed that the perpetrator was the son of a local politician and cannot be touched, leaving the woman no alternative but to reap her own bloody revenge. The second feature from Oonga director Devashish Makhija sounds like the perfect blend of social commentary and badass genre filmmaking and we can't wait to find out. - James
The Brink
Long-time assistant director Jonathan Li has been working in Hong Kong for well over a decade with the likes of Soi Cheang, Alan Mak and Felix Chong. Now he takes the reins on his own for this action packed thriller starring man of the moment Max Zhang, Shawn Yue and Wu Yue in a testosterone fuelled tale of cops and smugglers. - James
The Brawler
A new Anurag Kashyap film? Sign me up. The talented director behind crime epic The Gangs of Wassypur rides the wave of popularity for sports movies currently sweeping India, offering up an action-packed tale of forbidden love across social and cultural divides. When a low caste boxer falls for his boss' beautiful daughter, he determines to win a championship to prove himself worthy. - James
Manhunt
John Woo returns to contemporary action cinema with this big budget remake of the 1976 Ken Takakura vehicle You Must Cross the River of Wrath. Zhang Hanyu stars as an upright lawyer forced on the run when he is framed for murder. Masahara Fukuyama plays the sympathetic detective on his tail. Advance word has been mixed on this one, but nothing is going to stop me from checking it out. - James
The Third Murder
It's Fukuyama again, this time playing a sympathetic lawyer trying to save confessed murderer Koji Yakusho from a death sentence. The Third Murder is a dramatic change of pace for director Hirokazu Kore'eda, but that just makes us all the more excited for this thrilling courtroom showdown. - James