Bucheon Fantastic Film Festival Closes 30th Edition With Record Crowds, Attendance Up 27%

The 30th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN, executive chair Shin Chul) wrapped its 11-day run on Sunday, July 12, drawing record crowds as attendance rose 27% from last year. Marking its 30th anniversary, the festival adopted "newness and expansion" as its themes and drew strong support from audiences and Bucheon residents with an expanded program and the launch of an AI Content Summit, among other innovations.

This year BIFAN screened 321 films from 50 countries (170 features, 85 shorts, 38 AI works, 28 XR works), increasing the number of screenings by about 45% compared with last year. Ninety-three of those titles were world premieres, debuting for the first time at BIFAN. Total festival attendance reached 66,128, up 27% from 52,024 at the 29th edition, and about 137,000 visitors were counted over the festival's 11-day run.

The festival also drew a steady stream of film professionals from at home and abroad. The opening ceremony red carpet was attended by Hong Kong action-film legend Yuen Woo-ping as well as Fan Bingbing, Isabelle Huppert and Josie Ho. At a press conference, they discussed their views on film and on how AI is shaping the creative process. The festival presented a range of programs, including a masterclass by director Takashi Miike for 〈Ichi the Killer〉, a mega talk with 〈Tazza〉 director Choi Dong-hoon and actor Yoo Hae-jin, and a talk with the audience (GV) featuring Ryu Seung-ryong and Gong Myung of 〈Extreme Job〉. The community outreach program "Visiting Neighborhood Cinema" hosted appearances by Kim Yun-seok, Kim Sung-ryeong and Lee Seung-gi from 〈Big Family〉, Kim Ha-neul and Yoo Ji-tae from 〈Ditto〉, and director Jung Ji-young and Yeom Hye-ran from 〈My Name Is〉, among others, giving local residents a chance to meet them.

Notably, the newly established "Bucheon AI Content Summit," aimed at positioning Bucheon as a global hub for AI video content, was successfully launched. The festival's first-ever AI showcase section, "AI Frontier," and the international AI conference both sold out at pre-sale. The XR division, celebrating its 10th year with "2026 Beyond Reality," showcased VR and dome screenings and Yasuhiro Chida's media art exhibition 〈Analemma〉, among other presentations, turning sites across Bucheon into a futuristic cinema.

The citizen-centered festival "July Carnival" also added to the atmosphere. Around 30,000 people attended the lawn concert, Horror Night and the Bucheon WeJoy Ichi-Maek Festival held around Sohyang-ro and on the Bucheon City Hall lawn. The landmark installation "Fantastic Portal," created for the 30th anniversary, was filled with messages left by audiences and residents, deepening the festival's resonance. BIFAN said it used this edition as a turning point to cement its standing as a genre festival while spearheading new possibilities for the film industry by combining AI and XR.