The 31st Busan International Film Festival is revealing more of what audiences and visitors can expect when it opens in Busan from October 6 to 15, 2026. A newly announced six-film retrospective will celebrate the late Ahn Sung-ki, while Thailand will become the first Country of Honor at the Asian Contents & Film Market (ACFM). Together, the programmes show how Busan is celebrating an important figure in Korean cinema while also creating new opportunities for the global film industry.
For festival audiences, the programme will offer more than a ceremonial tribute. Titled Those Beautiful Years, Ahn Sung-ki, the retrospective will bring six films from the actor’s long career back to the big screen after his death in 2026. The retrospective gives viewers a chance to encounter his work across different stages of Korean cinema and understand his importance.
Often called “The Nation’s Actor,” Ahn Sung-ki began acting as a child and went on to build a career spanning more than 140 films. His performances moved between artistic cinema and popular hits, allowing him to work with major Korean filmmakers and mainstream audiences. His death at 74 closed a major chapter, but the Busan programme places the focus on the films that continue to define his screen legacy.
The six selected titles are Mandala, Village in the Mist, Deep Blue Night, Two Cops, Nowhere to Hide and Radio Star. The selection traces the range of roles that made his career distinctive, from serious dramas and socially rooted stories to commercial entertainment and later films. The screenings also offer an accessible route into modern Korean film history.
That conversation between cinema’s past and present continues through ACFM, BIFF’s official industry market. ACFM is a meeting place where filmmakers, producers, sales companies, investors, distributors and content professionals discuss projects and look for business and creative partnerships.
Thailand has been chosen as the inaugural Country of Honor, a new highest-level country partnership programme introduced by ACFM this year. The designation gives one selected national screen and content industry a prominent market presence, with opportunities to introduce companies, creators and projects and encourage cooperation.
For Thailand, the position is more than a symbolic label. Its participation will bring Thai industry representatives and projects into highlighted activities and networking opportunities connected with the market. The programme is intended to strengthen visibility for the country’s film and wider content sectors while building connections for production, sales, distribution and collaboration.
The choice also reflects ACFM’s broader role within Busan. The market brings together film and content businesses across Asia and beyond, where projects can meet partners, financing and routes toward wider audiences. Giving one country a special focus adds a clearer national showcase to that exchange, with Thailand as its first participant.
These announcements also arrive as the festival continues to outline its October programme, giving audiences and industry professionals a clearer sense of what will be available on screen and inside the market. In that way, the news concerns both cinema audiences and working professionals.
Busan’s 2026 edition is taking shape as more than a programme of new films. Audiences will revisit six Ahn Sung-ki films and consider a career that shaped Korean cinema across generations. Meanwhile, industry visitors will see Thailand take a leading role in a new ACFM initiative built around international connections.
As October approaches, these additions give a clearer picture of what the 31st Busan International Film Festival will offer: a place to remember an important cinematic legacy, discover work from the present and create opportunities for the industries shaping the future of Asian screen culture.
Read More:
