Come for the films, stay for everything else: BIFF draws crowds beyond red carpets and screens

BUSAN — Bae Seo-young, an office worker from Pangyo, Gyeonggi, took Wednesday off work to travel three and a half hours to Busan for a chance to see the director and cast of Netflix's “Possible Love.”

A first-time attendee of the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), Bae had been unable to book tickets to events apart from several film screenings. But she could still attend the festival's free, open-air talks at the Busan Cinema Center, where actors and directors promoting their films met with audiences without requiring reservations.

“I love movies and go to theaters often […] but I'd never really found a reason to come all the way to Busan. Then a friend started working at BIFF, so I thought I'd make a trip out of it,” said Bae.

“I moved up my trip to attend the ‘Possible Love’ talk. […] Now that I'm here, it's nice to see other events going on, too.”

Under clear blue skies, a giant poster for the Netflix film covered the KNN Center across from the venue. Visitors streamed through the Busan Cinema Center's roofed outdoor theater, moving between screenings, talks and other attractions.

For Busan resident Kim Ji-young, however, it was just another walk with her dog, Cookie. She stopped to watch from a distance as the cast of BIFF's opening film, “The Table: Day and Night,” spoke to the crowd.

“I don't think people who live around here necessarily go out of their way to attend the festival,” said Kim, a homemaker who lives just a five-minute walk from the center.

“But the city definitely feels busier and more alive when the festival is on,” she said.

The 31st edition of BIFF opened Tuesday, with 316 films — including 247 in its official selection — screening across 31 screens in eight theaters around the city through Oct. 15.

Although the number of international visitors to BIFF has grown in recent years, domestic audiences still account for the vast majority of festivalgoers. The number of overseas attendees rose from 5,223 in 2023 to 12,743 in 2025, according to a festival spokesperson citing ticket reservation data. Even so, international visitors accounted for just 7.9 percent of the total audience in 2025.

Official audience figures for this year's festival are still being compiled. But during the first three days, younger visitors were particularly visible, informed through the internet about the festival's programs and controversies. Others, including nearby residents, joined the festivities more spontaneously.

The sprawling, 32,140-square-meter (346,000-square-foot) Busan Cinema Center complex, which hosts the festival's red carpet ceremonies and most of its events, was bustling from early Tuesday.

Long lines formed at the official merchandise booth, whose items had already generated buzz on social media ahead of the festival. BIFF expanded its merchandise lineup this year, launching its first crowdfunding project for festival collectibles and collaborating with lifestyle brands including Festiver and IAB Studio.

Lee Chan-soo, a college student majoring in film from Namyangju, Gyeonggi, said the venue's spacious, open layout made it easier to explore than those of other film festivals in Korea.

With a beer in one hand and a bag of goods in the other, Lee had just finished browsing the booths and was heading toward the central theater, where the cast of the Japanese film “In the Clear Moonlit Dusk” was greeting audiences on Thursday afternoon.

He had spent 60,000 won ($45) on merchandise, including pin badges and a keychain featuring BIFF's mascot, after checking the merchandise lineup and popular items on social media ahead of his visit.

The festival is catering to an online audience. All tickets are sold online, with only unsold seats, cancellations and a limited number of seats reserved for people aged 65 and older or those with disabilities available for purchase on site.

Even younger festivalgoers, however, reported difficulties securing tickets this year. BIFF introduced a new system that requires visitors to rejoin an online queue after each booking, rather than allowing them to reserve multiple screenings or events in a single session.

Byeon Ji-hye, who came to a Megabox theater for a Q. and A. session following a screening of “Waikiki Brothers” (2001) on Thursday afternoon, said she had managed to secure a ticket on her first try. But when she attempted to book another film premiering at BIFF, she found herself 140,000th in the online queue.

For Byeon, as for many festivalgoers who spoke to the Korea JoongAng Daily, BIFF's biggest draw was the chance to interact with filmmakers and actors.

“Otherwise, it's just another screening at a movie theater,” said Kim Yonadan, an amateur filmmaker who took a week off work to attend BIFF.

Near the escalators leading up to CGV Centum City, he waited to attend a conversation between director Alfonso Cuarón and his son, filmmaker Jonás Cuarón, following a screening of their film “Gravity” (2013) late Wednesday. From where he sat, he could also catch glimpses of celebrities coming and going.

“Part of the appeal of a film festival is discovering hidden gems that haven't yet been recognized,” Kim said.

Still, he felt BIFF had yet to establish a distinctive identity on the international festival circuit, particularly in its efforts to champion emerging filmmakers. While acknowledging that BIFF could not compete with larger festivals on scale alone, he questioned whether it was still playing the role it once had in discovering new directors and launching their careers internationally.

He also saw last year's introduction of a competition section as a possible acknowledgment of the festival's limitations.

Finding a balance between artistic ambition and popular appeal, he said, was a challenge shared by film festivals everywhere.

Beyond the main festival venue in Centum City, Community BIFF brought screenings and participatory programs to the bustling Nampo-dong district, where BIFF first began. Designed to bring audiences closer to the festival, the program includes audience-curated screenings, interactive talks and other public activities.

For some visitors, simply getting to watch a film was reason enough to make the trip.

Ha Jeong-min traveled from Jinju, South Gyeongsang, for a day trip to watch “To Ju-hee.” She had heard that the film explored social issues and wanted to catch it at BIFF, believing it was unlikely to be screened in her hometown.

Others came with no particular film in mind.

At an outdoor screening of “Jungle Story” (1996) on Thursday, a noticeably older crowd sat in plastic chairs amid the bustling shops of Nampo-dong.

Among them was Kim Soo-bok, 73, who had brought yogurt from home to enjoy during the film. She had traveled with a friend from Yeongdo District, about 30 minutes away, after hearing about the event through word-of-mouth.

“I don't know the movie. I heard some celebrities were coming, but I don't know who,” she said. “I just came to have a good time.”

BY KIM JU-YEON [[email protected]]