From Screen to Reality: Living Your K-Drama Dream at the Busan International Film Festival!
- lewishooper1
- Sep 15
- 3 min read
For the ultimate fan: "The ultimate pilgrimage for every K-drama and movie lover". The red carpet and the dazzling lights of the 2025 Busan Film Festival! We give you all the details to make this year's event unforgettable!
If you are a fan of Korean films, or simply just films in general, then stepping into the Busan International Film Festival otherwise often referred to as BIFF is more than just a film lovers dream. This year it will be held between September 17th - 26th.
This is also a global event, and the selection of films on offer is massive, with over 300 films from 75 different countries. There is something for everyone! With 99 of those being world premieres, you can be among the very first to see ground-breaking new films before they hit the global stage. Adding to the festival's prestige, the acclaimed American writer and filmmaker Oliver Stone is serving on the judging panel, bringing his legendary cinematic eye to help discover the next big thing in film, and you never know, you might be able to spot your favorite actor or actress at the same time.
Buy your tickets online if you can
With there being so much on offer to see and do, it is ideal to plan ahead if you can as it will enable you to find what movies you are interested in, and book them as as they are available as competition for times and slots is often fierce.
Don’t forget, two tickets max!
This is the golden rule! When you buy tickets in person at the event you are only allowed to buy two tickets at a time, so if you are in a big group you will need to have half the number of people in line to get all of the tickets. If not, ask the people behind you in line to buy the tickets for you.
Be on time!
Most of the time, there are K-stars, International stars, directors, and even producers at the show! Often, they might give a speech or pose for a photo or two, so it is vital to be on time for the event and show! Even better, show up early (a good 10-15 minutes will do the trick) so you can have the best seat in town.)
Give yourself some time
This is one of the hottest events of the year, especially in Korean cinema, and most visitors to the event aim to watch as many events as possible, so just make sure to give yourself some breathing time between the shows, as the event is always very busy due to its increased popularity. The city of Busan is very spread out, so getting from one venue to the next may be tight. If you’re leaving less than 30 minutes between each movie, make sure you book movies at the same venue.
Book your accommodations early
The event is always popular, and with over 200,000 people attending the event it is not always easy to find a place to stay.
As you can imagine, good accommodations will fill up quite quickly, especially in the Haeundae area. Make sure you book your room ahead of time so you have the best selection possible.
Have you ever been to the Busan International Film Festival? Or will you be heading there this year? If so, then we would love to hear from you in the comments below!
Comments