The 28th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), which will be held for 10 days from Oct 4 (Wed) to Oct 13 (Fri), has confirmed the jury members for the KIM Jiseok, BIFF Mecenat, and Sonje Awards.

Competition Among Veteran Asian Directors,
KIM Jiseok Award Jury
Festival Director Martine THEROUANNE,
Director NISHIKAWA Miwa, and Director LEE Kwangkuk

The KIM Jiseok Award was established in 2017 to commemorate the spirit of the late BIFF program director, Kim Jiseok, who devoted his life to the discovery and growth of Asian cinema. The KIM Jiseok Award grants a prize of USD 10,000 to the two best films selected from the Jiseok section, which introduces new projects by Korean and Asian filmmakers who have worked on 3 or more feature films.

The 28th Busan International Film Festival has appointed Martine Therouanne, festival director of the Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema, who has been actively introducing Asian films to audiences in France; Nishikawa Miwa, director of Sway (2006) and Under the Open Sky (2020); and director Lee Kwangkuk, director of Romance Joe (2011) and A Tiger in Winter (2017), as this year’s KIM Jiseok Award jury members.

Documentary Competition, BIFF Mecenat Jury
Director HARA Kazuo, Film Critic Anke LEWEKE, and Director Kyungsoon

The BIFF Mecenat Award is presented to the best feature-length documentaries from Korea and Asia in the Wide Angle section. A cash prize of KRW 10,000,000 will be granted to one selection each from Korea and Asia.

This year’s BIFF Mecenat Award jury is composed of director Hara Kazuo, a highly respected documentarist from Japan, well-known for his films The Emperor's Naked Army Marches On (1987) and Sennan Asbestos Disaster (2017); Anke Leweke, former programmer of the Berlin International Film Festival; and Kyungsoon, director of Mindullae (1999) and Shocking Family (2006).

Korean and Asian Short Film Competition,
Sonje Award Jury
Director JANG Kunjae, Director WEI Shujun, and Producer Bianca BALBUENA

The Sonje Award is given to the best Korean and Asian short films in the Wide Angle section. The 2 selected films will receive a prize of KRW 10,000,000 each.

Director Jang Kunjae of A Midsummer's Fantasia (2014), director Wei Shujun, who has been invited to the Cannes Film Festival for 4 consecutive projects, and producer Bianca Balbuena, who boasts extensive experience with international co-productions, have been appointed as the BIFF 2023 Sonje Award jury members.

The 28th Busan International Film Festival, which has announced the 9 jury members for this year’s Kim Jiseok, BIFF Mecenat, and Sonje Awards, will be held for 10 days from Oct 4 (Wed) to Oct 13 (Fri) around the Busan Cinema Center.