Zhang Yimou To Head Seven-Member Competition Jury At Busan International Film Festival

Chinese director Zhang Yimou has been named as Jury President for the main competition section at this year’s Busan International Film Festival (October 6-15).

Joining him are fellow Chinese filmmaker Bi Gan, whose 2025 film Resurrection played in Busan competition last year; Korean actress Moon Choi, who produced and acted in Bedford Park, which is screening at the festival this year; Japanese director Kei Ishikawa (A Pale View Of Hills); Korean director July Jung (Dora), Vietnamese producer Tran Thi Bich Ngoc (Skin Of Youth) and Kazakh actress Samal Yeslyamova (Ayka).

The jury will be watching the previously announced competition selection of 13 features and presenting prizes across five categories: Best Film, Best Director, Special Jury Prize, Best Actor, and Artistic Contribution, with total cash prize money of $80,000 (KRW110m).

Busan film festival introduced a fully-fledged competition section for the first time last year, with Zhang Lu’s Chinese title Gloaming In Luomu taking the Busan Award for Best Film. Following changes to the Academy Awards’ criteria for Best International Feature, introduced in May this year, films that win Busan’s Best Film Award will be automatically submitted to the Best International Feature category.

The festival has also announced the juries for its Vision – Asia section, with the NETPAC jury comprising Nina Kochelyaeva, Matthew Poon and Lee Dongha; and the FIPRESCI jury including Ma Xingxu, Teresa Vena and Roh Chul-Hwan.

In addition the jury for the BIFF Mecenat Award in the Feature Documentary Competition, includes Rintu Thomas, Kim Taeil and Zhou Hao. The Sonje Award Jury comprises Anuparna Roy, Abinash Bikram Shah and Lee Ranhee.