The Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) 2025 is set to mark a new era with the launch of its Competition section, a groundbreaking platform dedicated to discovering and celebrating fresh cinematic voices from across Asia. For its inaugural year, the Competition lineup features 14 carefully selected films from Korea, Japan, China, Iran, Tajikistan, Taiwan, and Sri Lanka, spanning genres, themes, and artistic approaches that highlight the creativity and urgency of contemporary Asian filmmaking.
Running from September 17–26, 2025, BIFF continues to affirm its reputation as the leading festival in Asia and one of the most influential in the world. The introduction of the Competition section represents not only a shift in the festival’s structure but also a renewed commitment to spotlighting both emerging filmmakers and established directors willing to push artistic boundaries.
Highlights from the 2025 Lineup
A Poetic Debut from Tajikistan
Another Birth (Tajikistan/US/Qatar) introduces a striking new female voice in Tajik cinema. Set in the breathtaking Shakhdara Valley, the film follows a young girl navigating family sorrow and searching for meaning in poetry and folklore. With luminous cinematography and layered symbolism, it is described as “a film as beautiful as a poem.” Beyond its intimate story, the film marks a rare debut feature from a female director in Tajikistan, underscoring the importance of the Competition’s commitment to marginalized voices.
Japan’s Complex Crime Drama
From Japan, BAKA’s Identity adapts Nishio Jun’s novel into a tense psychological thriller. Centered on three young men trapped in a criminal underworld, the narrative examines identity, survival, and morality. Featuring Kitamura Takumi and Ayano Go, the film intertwines suspense with social critique, reflecting on how poverty and circumstance can entrap individuals in cycles of violence.
Korea’s Diverse Offerings
By another name, a deeply personal story about a terminally ill director making one last film, explores the boundaries between life, art, and memory. Its two-part structure mirrors grief and resilience, culminating in a meditation on the transformative power of cinema.
En Route To boldly tackles teenage pregnancy and secrecy within a high school setting, using raw performances to confront issues of desire, shame, and resilience.
Funky Freaky Freaks, an experimental debut, blends high school romance, surreal humor, and hyperactive editing, capturing youthful energy while spiraling into darker territory.
Seven O’Clock Breakfast Club for the Brokenhearted, adapted from Baek Young-ok’s novel, gathers characters in morning meetings to heal from heartbreak. Balancing melancholy with empathy, it offers an ensemble piece rich in emotional resonance.
Taiwan’s Perspectives
Girl, set in 1988, depicts a young girl’s turbulent family life and her bond with a transfer student. With its vivid colors and meticulous camerawork, writer-director Shu Qi’s debut channels personal trauma into cinematic expression.
Left-Handed Girl, a Taiwan/France/US/UK co-production co-written and produced by Sean Baker, portrays three generations of women in Taipei’s night markets. Blending handheld camerawork, humor, and realism, the film captures the struggles of survival, economic hardship, and identity through the eyes of a kindergartner and her family.
Expanding Horizons from China
Gloaming in Luomu by Zhang Lu follows a woman retracing her past in a small town, interweaving everyday encounters with poetic camerawork, including 360-degree pans of mountain landscapes.
Resurrection, directed by Bi Gan, pushes visual experimentation to new heights. A fantastical exploration of time, dreams, and cinema, it includes a signature 30-minute long take and tributes to multiple film genres, underscoring Bi Gan’s reputation for boundary-pushing artistry.
Japan’s Range of Intimate Voices
Leave the Cat Alone, the debut feature by Shigaya Daisuke, is a delicate portrayal of a struggling musician and his successful photographer wife. Exploring insomnia, memory, and rekindled relationships, the film unravels entangled emotions with a sensitive, intimate gaze.
Two Seasons, Two Strangers, directed by Miyake Sho, adapts Tsuge Yoshiharu’s manga into a contemplative two-part story. Interweaving memory, writing, and travel, it reflects on the act of storytelling as a journey in itself, blurring the lines between fiction and lived experience.
Stories of Resistance and Imagination
From Sri Lanka, France, and India, Spying Stars reimagines the sci-fi genre through the lens of a pandemic-stricken Earth. Director Vimukthi Jayasundara interlaces poetic imagery with unsettling genre tropes, crafting a narrative that balances cosmic mystery with human vulnerability.
Without Permission (Iran/UK) stands out as one of the most politically urgent entries. Hassan Nazer portrays an exiled filmmaker engaging children in a society constrained by censorship and compulsory codes. The film becomes both a document of resistance and a testament to cinema’s enduring role as a vehicle for truth and freedom.