Stars, cult favorites and AI on the bill at BIFAN's 30th edition

The Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN) opens its 30th edition on Tuesday with a record 321 films from 50 countries, honoring Hong Kong actress Josie Ho, Fan Bingbing, and Isabelle Huppert. The festival continues its focus on AI-assisted filmmaking with dedicated competitions and prizes, alongside a three-year project surveying Asian genre films.

Korea's foremost genre showcase brings together a record 321 films, a roster of anniversary honors and a deeper push into AI filmmaking There are types of films enjoyed everywhere but deemed too quirky for the prestige circuit: the late-night creature feature, the gleefully gory horror picture, the action flick built for pulpy thrills. For three decades, the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival BIFAN has been where those films come to be taken seriously. It is the home of the genre movie in Korea, and that focus sets it apart from the country's other major festivals. Where Busan draws the mainstream crowds and Jeonju carved out a niche in indie films, BIFAN made its name at the rowdier edge. On Tuesday, it opens its 30th edition, kicking off an 11-day run just west of Seoul. This year's lineup is the largest yet, featuring 321 films from 50 countries. The program runs through July 12 across venues in the satellite city that has long pitched itself as a hub for comics and animation. Stars are expected on the red carpet ahead of Tuesday's opening ceremony, where the festival is handing out honors for its 30th anniversary: the fantastic icon award goes to Hong Kong actress Josie Ho, the global icon prize to Fan Bingbing, and a lifetime achievement honor to Isabelle Huppert. Korean directors and actors round out the rest of the carpet, among them "The King and the Clown" director Lee Joon-ik and actors Yoo Jae-myung, Oh Dal-su and Lee Si-eon. The festival opens with the Korean premiere of Yuen Woo-ping's "Blades of the Guardians." The wuxia epic from the veteran action director stars Wu Jing as a bounty hunter in the Sui dynasty, with martial-arts legend Jet Li making a special appearance. This year, the festival kicks off "Asian Genre Films 99," a three-year project surveying the best of Asian genre filmmaking. It opens with 33 Korean titles from the past three decades, ten of which screen this edition. Those ten range from Lee Myung-se's stylish 1999 thriller "Nowhere to Hide" to Jang Joon-hwan's cult oddity "Save the Green Planet ," remade last year by Yorgos Lanthimos as "Bugonia." Each gets a big-screen revival, with directors and cast on hand for post-screening Q&As. If genre cinema is one half of BIFAN's identity, AI has become the other. For the past several years, the festival has made AI-assisted filmmaking a signature focus. Films made with AI tools compete for prizes under the festival's main "Bucheon Choice" banner, judged by a panel of directors and AI-industry figures, in their own category next to the international and Korean competitions. BIFAN first ran the competition two years ago, the first of its kind in Korea, and has widened its programming since. It has added two new prizes in the AI category this year, one chosen by a jury for breaking new creative ground, the other by audience vote. It is also running a year-round contest for scripts that will be turned into AI-made shorts and series, working with industry partners to carry the winning ideas through to production. A separate competition offers finished AI films a shot at commercial release in Korea's major multiplex chains. BIFAN runs through July 12 at venues across Bucheon. moonkihoon@heraldcorp.com