Bong Joon-ho, Choi Dong-hoon and Jang Joon-hwan shorts among 25 films screening free at Airport Cinema Club

Free to all visitors, with no boarding pass required, from Sept. 22 for one month to mark KAFA feature-film program’s 20th anniversary

Gimhae International Airport is being transformed into a giant movie theater. The Korean Film Council said Sunday it will exclusively operate the Airport Cinema Club in the domestic terminal’s third-floor public waiting area to mark the 20th anniversary of the Korean Film Academy’s feature-film program. The program will run for about one month, from Sept. 22 through Oct. 19.

The event was organized as part of a regional cultural program by Korea Airports Corp. It coincides with the 31st Busan International Film Festival, which opens next month, and is expected to serve as a key hub for showcasing the best of Korean cinema to visitors from South Korea and abroad.

The standout program is the “10-Minute Cinema.” It will offer audiences a chance to discover hidden gems by leading figures in Korean film. A total of 25 films will screen in rotation, ranging from early short films by star directors who graduated from KAFA, including Bong Joon-ho, Jang Joon-hwan, Choi Dong-hoon and Lee Ok-seop, to works by emerging creators who have recently gained attention at international film festivals.

The program also offers a multifaceted cultural experience that goes beyond simply watching films.

• “Cinema Archive”: An exhibition of art books and original screenplays documenting the filmmaking process

• “Cinema Card”: A mobile-linked service that lets visitors easily watch films on their phones

Most notably, the Airport Cinema Club is fully free and open to anyone visiting the airport, regardless of whether they are taking a flight, making it highly accessible.

“This is a meaningful opportunity to share directly with audiences the intense growth journey of the creators KAFA has produced over the past 20 years,” KAFA President Cho Geun-sik said. “By bringing Korean films to the public through an open space like an airport, this will be a clear opportunity to make Korean cinema more familiar and broaden access to cultural experiences.”