Top Awards at Busan International Film Festival Go to ‘The Land of Morning Calm,’ ‘MA – Cry of Silence,’ ‘Village Rockstars 2,’ and ‘Yen and Ai-Lee’; 2025 Dates Announced.
The Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) has announced its award winners and confirmed the dates for its 2025 edition.
Award Winners:
New Currents Award: Park Ri-woong’s The Land of Morning Calm (Korea) and The Maw Naing’s MA – Cry of Silence (Myanmar/Korea/Singapore/France/Norway/Qatar) shared this honor.
The jury praised The Land of Morning Calm for its compelling storytelling and emotional depth, while MA – Cry of Silence was recognized for its bold depiction of resistance against Myanmar’s political issues.
Kim Jiseok Award: Rima Das’ Village Rockstars 2 (India/Singapore) and Tom Lin Shu-Yu’s Yen and Ai-Lee (Taiwan) received this award. The jury commended Village Rockstars 2 for its honest portrayal of everyday life and highlighted Yen and Ai-Lee for its striking representation of a troubled mother-daughter relationship.
BIFF Mecenat Award: This award for documentaries went to Works and Days by Park Minsoo and Ahn Kearnhyung (Korea) and Another Home by Frankie Sin (Taiwan/Hong Kong, China/France).
Sonje Award for Short Films: The award was given to Song Jiseo’s Yurim (Korea) and Eléonore Mahmoudian and Matsui Hiroshi’s A Garden in Winter (Japan/France).
Actor Awards:
Yoo Lee-ha was named Male Actor of the Year for his role in The Final Semester (Korea), while Park Seoyun received Female Actor of the Year for her performance in Humming (Korea).
Audience Awards:
Antonella Sudasassi Furniss’ Memories of a Burning Body (Costa Rica/Spain) won the Flash Forward Audience Award, and Jo Seyoung’s K-Number (Korea) took home the Documentary Audience Award.
Upcoming Festival Dates:
The 30th edition of BIFF will take place from September 17 to 26, 2025, moving from its usual October timeframe to avoid conflict with the Chuseok holiday, a significant three-day celebration in Korea. The Asian Contents & Film Market will run concurrently from September 20 to 23.
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