Written by Kianna Best on Sep 5, 2024. Posted in Awards and Festivals

Netflix establishes significant presence at 2024 Busan International Film Festival

The 2024 Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) will open with Netflix title Uprising, a Korean feature set against the backdrop of war and following the journey through the lives of two childhood friends turned foes. This opening night premiere joins a longlist of Netflix productions include in the programme, as the streamer establishes a key partnership with the film festival taking place from 2-11 October.

Image courtesy of Netflix

Hailed by BIFF as a “historical masterpiece”, Uprising is directed by Kim Sang-man and produced by Park Cha-wook who also co-wrote the film. To tell the story of the friends turned adversaries, the film will feature performances from Gang Doon-won and Perk Jeon-min for the premiere taking place on 2 October.

The festival has announced it will screen 224 titles including features and shorts in it official selection, as well as an additional 55 films for its community outreach programme. For this expanded lineup, the festival will use 28 screens at seven venues including the KOFIC Theatre. In addition to the screenings, the festival will honour Japan’s Kurosawa Kiyoshi with the Asian Filmmaker of the Year Award, as well as screen the filmmakers most recent projects Cloud, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival and Serpent’s Path which will have its international premiere in San Sebastian.

Other Netflix projects from across Asia included in the programme for BIFF include Taiwan’s Born For the Spotlight, Japan’s Beyond Goodbye, and Hellbound’s second season. The streamer will also showcase Norwegian documentary The Remarkable Life of Ibelin, which won two Sundance awards for its exploration of a man’s adventures in a virtual world and restrictions it has on his physical life.

This year will mark the first year that Netflix will be an Industry Partner of BIFF, and present the inaugural Creative Asia Forum, a one-day event designed to nurture emerging filmmakers, creatives and production professionals. Other notable projects from this year’s film festival circuit include Palestinian documentary and Iranian film My Favourite Cake from Berlin, Cannes Jury Prize winner All We Imagine as Light from Payal Kapadia and Sundance’s World Cinema Dramatic Audience Award recipient Girls Will be Girls.