BISFF launched in 1980 as a domestic event under the name ¡®Korean Short Film Festival¡¯ with the aim of discovering talented film professionals and fostering a filmmaking-friendly environment. It has introduced various kinds of films, including 8mm and independent films made by students and general audience. It earned a reputation of fairness by selecting socially-conscious films during Korea¡¯s military dictatorship era. Many of these young talents have grown into established filmmakers and leaders of the filmmaking industry.
Our festival evolved over the years and renamed itself ¡®Busan Asian Short Film Festival¡¯ in 2000 as it extended its horizon abroad, accepted entries from foreign countries and introduced excellent Asian filmmakers to local audiences - a first at the time in Korea.
Eventually, BISFF became the ¡®Busan International Short Film Festival¡¯ in 2010 and expanded to the world of films beyond Asia. It continues to present the latest tendencies in short-filmmaking from Korea and abroad, and to be a meeting place between short films, cineastes and audiences.
In recent years, BISFF has become a member of the Short Film Conference and of the NETPAC - Network for the Promotion of Asia Pacific Cinema. In 2018, it became South Korea¡¯s first Oscar¢ç-qualifying festival, each year providing one Korean filmmaker and one foreign filmmaker with the opportunity to submit their films for consideration to the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences.
In addition to the competitive sections, various curated sections lets the audience see the worldwide trends in short-filmmaking and guess its future. Furthermore, by showing experimental films, animations and documentaries, BISFF intends to break away from the viewing conventions of fiction-oriented movies and to satisfy those craving for more varied forms of story-telling.
A pioneer among International short film festivals in Asia, BISFF wants to remain a window for Korean and Asian shorts to the world, and vice-versa.
Date | April 25 - May 1, 2023 |
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Screening Venues | Busan Cinema Center
BNK BUSAN BANK Art Cinema Corner Theater |
Theme | Cinema & Heritage |
Screenings | 146 films from 39 countries 66 films for Competition / 80 films for Invitation (non-competition) |
Awards | A total of 13 awards |
Major Events | Opening / Closing Ceremony
BISFF Wtih You BISFF Talk Roundtable BIT Forum New Media Cinema Workshop New Media Experience Booth BISFF 40th Anniversary Exhibition |
Competition | International Competition Korean Competition Operation Kino | |
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Invitation | Guest Country | Kings of Comedy: Charlie Chaplin VS. Buster Keaton USA Documentarist Carte blanche to Palm Springs International Film Festival |
Korean Shorts | Platform 1 Platform 2 | |
Hub of Asia | Rendez-vous with AFiS Asian-Americana The Death of Cinema(s) | |
Beyond Shorts | Prism 3D Shorts Interactive Shorts | |
Special Screening | BISFF Best-of International Shorts BISFF Best-of Korean Shorts Curtain Call BISFF Short Film Project BISFF Open Theater |