After 15 years, Michelle Yeoh returns to a global BIFF

BUSAN — Returning to the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) after 15 years, Michelle Yeoh said the event she once knew as a celebration of Asian filmmaking had “grown into a truly global gathering that gives Asian cinema a powerful voice on global stages.”

“This is an honor that celebrates Asian cinema and the way our stories travel across cultures and borders, which is deeply meaningful to me,” Yeoh said while receiving the Asian Filmmaker of the Year award at the 31^st edition’s opening ceremony on Tuesday.

“Then there are the audiences who welcomed me. A film begins with an idea, but it only becomes real when someone sits in the dark and gives it their time, their imagination and a little piece of their heart. You complete the film,” she added.

It was a clear, cool autumn day on Tuesday as lights shone and celebrities stepped onto the red carpet from 6 p.m.

Tickets for the event had sold out in 94 seconds, according to organizers, while Busan locals and curious tourists mingled outside of the venue, peering inside to see the large screens showing the actors and filmmakers making their way in. Yeoh entered posing with one hand curved against her cheek in the popular Korean red-carpet gesture known as a bol heart, or cheek heart, while Fan Bing Bing delighted audiences by making a finger heart as cameras trained in on her in her seat.

The Malaysian actor, whose career spans Hong Kong cinema and Hollywood and who is known for films including “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” (2000), made history as the first Asian woman to win the Academy Award for best actress for “Everything Everywhere All at Once” (2022).

This year’s BIFF could also provide another Asian filmmaker with a path to the Oscars. Beginning this year, the winner of the festival’s Competition section will be eligible for submission to the Academy Awards for best international feature film. The jury will choose from 14 films screening over the festival’s 10-day run, with contenders including Majid Majidi's "Bread and Books" and Kim Jung-hoon's "The Shave," which will premiere at the event.

BIFF executive director Jung Han-seok said that after the festival introduced its Competition section in 2025, three decades after its launch, it returned to a fundamental question: “What kind of films does Busan consider good cinema?”

“That question led us to select [these] films that capture the face of Asia,” Jung said.

“Asian films should not remain confined to Asia. They should have a broad impact around the world,” Zhang Yimou, the prolific director behind films including “Raise the Red Lantern” (1991) and “Hero” (2002), and president of this year’s Competition jury.

He noted that four of the seven members of the Competition jury were women, saying, “It is an honor to serve alongside so many women on the jury. I am confident the results of our work will be excellent.”

The opening ceremony began at 7 p.m., hosted by Kim Min-ha, one of the lead stars of this year’s opening film, “The Table: Day and Night.” Held ahead of the film’s screening, the ceremony stretched past its planned 8 p.m. end time as a series of awards were presented.

The Korean Cinema Award, given to figures who have contributed to the development and global recognition of Korean cinema, was presented to Kim Dong-ho, BIFF’s founding festival director and former chairperson.

The Camellia Award, presented in partnership with festival sponsor Chanel to filmmakers who have helped elevate the status of women in the industry, went to Hong Kong filmmaker Ann Hui.

Hui, known for films including “A Simple Life” (2011) and “Summer Snow” (1995), previously directed Yeoh in “The Stunt Woman” (1996).

With a visible tremor in her voice, Yeoh paid tribute to Hui while accepting her own award, praising her for “nearly five decades capturing the dignity of ordinary lives while forging a path for generations of women behind the camera.”

The 31st BIFF, with 246 official selections, its largest lineup since 2019, runs through Oct. 15.

BY KIM JU-YEON [[email protected]]