These are the winners of the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN) which is taking place in cinemas and online from June 29 until July 9, 2023 in Bucheon, Korea.

Bucheon Choice: Features

Best of Bucheon

In the late 19th century, on Chiloé Island off the coast of Chile, Rosa loses her father, who was falsely accused, and seeks refuge under the protection of Mateo, the leader of an indigenous group. In order to seek revenge against the ruling elite of the town, who killed her father and coldly abandoned her, Rosa learns indigenous rituals and carries out her plan. Based on a true story, Christopher Murray’s Sorcery incorporates typical elements of folk horror, but it has no interest in conforming to the formula of the genre. The film observes Rosa, the people surrounding her, the landscapes of Chiloé Island, and the dynamics of values, beliefs and violence drawing attention to the abyss of terror that has permeated the history of folk horror. What emerges through this exploration is a certain truth about the local, which can only exist as “sorcery” under the power of global forces such as Christianity and colonial modernization. (Jin PARK)

Jury’s Commentary:
Vividly taking the audience to an atmospheric place and time, this hushed Chilean thriller blends drama and mysticism to astutely depict a collision of colonial attitudes, local politics and indigenous magic.

Best Director

After leaving behind their city life in Copenhagen, the couple Stine and Teit, along with their son Nemo, migrate to a secluded Swedish countryside village to focus on writing novels and producing podcasts. Their peaceful creative life in the countryside, where it feels like only the three of them exist, begins to crack when another identical couple emerges from across the lake. As tension mounts, Stine and Teit’s forgotten past resurfaces. Karoline Lyngbye’s feature debut, Superposition, showcases a fresh approach to the frequently used theme of doppelgängers in genre films. The mirror image of another couple that Stine and Teit experience is not just a supernatural source of horror or a manifestation of unconscious desires, but rather a visual and psychological anatomy of their own identities and the intimate relationship of marriage. The meticulously crafted images captured on camera, seemingly reflect the film’s psychology, along with the restrained yet powerful performances of the actors, which also stand out. (Jin PARK)

Jury’s Commentary:
Working from a twisted premise, director Karoline Lyngbye adeptly helps the viewer share the moral and ethical dilemmas faced by characters who must either forgive each other or try to erase their problems, perhaps creating new ones in the process.

Jury’s Choice

An A.I. system employing a video image of a young girl, is created to hunt down online predators in child porn. What starts as an independent cause becomes a full-blown government cyber operation, and as the system gains years of information on human behavior, the A.I. also becomes the creator’s daughter-like entity. As it outlives the creator, this A.I. entity keeps on going without getting old, but getting smarter. This triumphant feature debut by a writer-director Franklin Ritch, who also stars as Gareth the creator, The Artifice Girl is an attentive indie sci-fi film using smart dialogues over fancy visuals. Even with its easy pace, the film clearly presents a relevant issue that current society is faced with, and a friendly warning on our dealing with A.I. applications. The acting is superb, led by the tour-de-force work of Tatum Matthews as the A.I. entity, “Cherry”. (Jongsuk Thomas NAM)

Jury’s Commentary:
Beautifully performed by a small cast, this tightly written drama brings up huge ideas that continually challenge us about the concept of artificial intelligence. So as this digitally created girl evolves to become more sentient, the film grows increasingly humane.

Audience Award

Bucheon Choice: Shorts

Best Short Film

After a grueling day, the protagonist longs to quietly return home. However, they find themselves at a crossroads due to an impudent taxi driver. In fairy tales, mermaids and fairies always prioritize humans, sacrificing themselves and captivating the hearts of children. But is it really true? Could it be that they have been trapped in the human world for eternity? This really shows thinking outside the box! (Kristin JI)

Jury’s Choice for Short Film

After getting divorced, Irina finds herself indebted to her mother-in-law, who has a dog with the same name as her deceased son, as she believes the dog is a reincarnation of him. This psychological thriller turns anxieties about the future and the despair of not being able to take care of oneself into a realistic nightmare, amplifying the tension. It warns that if you fail to truly confront yourself, you may eventually lose yourself. (Kristin JI)

Jury’s Special Mention

The devout Muslim protagonist learns that their cow has been defiled by his own son. In the dilemma between reality and religion, he must decide whether to prioritize their own interests or follow the word of God. Through the hardships faced by an ordinary family, the director subtly exposes the patriarchal attitudes and issues related to women’s rights in Islamic culture. (Kristin JI)

Audience Award

An octogenarian vampire named Olga, suffering from depression, enters a nursing home filled with dying humans at her daughter’s behest. What sets this story apart is that Olga, a grandmotherly vampire, is not depicted as the typical young, beautiful, and alluring vampire found in vampire stories. The fact that she laboriously discovers her own way of feeding is what makes her the protagonist, and it is incredibly captivating. Twisting common clichés to create satire is not as easy as it sounds, which adds to the charm of the narrative. (Kristin JI)

Korean Fantastic: Features

Korean Fantastic Film

At first glance, it seems like an ordinary sports movie based on Kendo. Jaewoo, who joins the national team selection process, is treated as a soon-to-be eliminated player from the first day. However, IRON MASK does not simply follow the typical sports movie formula. It sets the tension high early on, by showcasing an intense confrontation between Jaewoo and the unbeatable top-ranked player, Taesu. From there, it gradually reveals why Jaewoo is there, peeling away the layers of his story like an onion. Thus, the film expands beyond being just a sports movie and veers into sharp psychological drama. The sharpness of Jaewoo’s emotions is vividly reflected in his Kendo, while also representing the challenges he must unravel in his life. The ending is quite thought-provoking. The captivating cinematography exudes the excitement of Kendo matches in an electrifying way, making IRON MASK worthy of note. (Rhana JANG)

Best Director

His dream was simply ordinary. To live in a comfortable apartment, waking up to a happy morning with his loved one. However, as he roams around a casino located in Gangwon Province, everything he had crumbles. Young-gil, who dreamed of a happy future with Harim, finds himself trapped in the temptations of the casino, sinking into an abyss with no bottom. He can’t escape the allure of the casino, losing his way in an unpredictable swamp.

Young-gil, who used to rely on his truck for his living, ends up pawning it, betting with the borrowed money from Harim’s mother instead of regaining the truck. He even spends the meager amount given by the village elder for the transport fare to the casino. His actions go beyond recklessness and into despair. Despite having several chances to escape the quagmire of misfortune, and encountering kindness from others, Young-gil ultimately fails to save himself. His image reflects a society where “money” has become of absolute value, portraying a risky and heartbreaking self-portrait. It feels even more precarious and poignant. (MO Eun-young)

Fantastic Actors

The movie begins as Jeong-in returns to her hometown, “Pak-ha Village”. Wounded and weary, Jeong-in can’t let her guard down even there. The villagers look down on her and threaten her. However, when Hye-jung moves to the village, the atmosphere begins to change. As she doesn’t engage in farming and lives a completely different lifestyle, the villagers see Hye-jung’s with disdain. From that moment on, the intensity of the movie rises sharply. As Jeong-in and Hye-jung confront those who try to harm them, in order to find their own inner strength, the satisfaction of the progress is amplified. Starting with realistic landscapes, the flow of this story of women refusing to be passive embarking on a journey is strangely captivating. It is based on a mystery novel by author Seo Miae. (Rhana JANG)

A boyfriend, who can barely speak English, embarks on an overseas trip with his girlfriend, who takes charge of planning everything and even handles communication on his behalf. However, their journey turns into a nightmare when they barely make it to their accommodation, and strange knocking sounds start emanating from the room. To make matters worse, the girlfriend disappears while taking a shower, and the police immediately suspect the boyfriend. With meticulously crafted initial ominous situations, such as the flight delays, the rental car agency closing its doors, and a major traffic accident experienced shortly after getting into the car, audiences are easily drawn into the protagonist’s intense quest to find his missing girlfriend. Despite the language barrier, he manages to evade the relentless investigation of the local police and skillfully uncovers clues. Unexpected obstacles keep appearing one after another, propelling the story forward without a moment to catch your breath. At the climax of the confusion, when the full truth of the incident is revealed, and viewers are met with a shocking revelation that leaves them gasping in astonishment. (PARK Got)

Jury’s Special Mention

From now on, the story we will encounter will be a story that no-one knows, or a story that no-one has heard yet. Gi-eun and Gi-un, who live their lives in bed due to spinal disorders, have been trapped in dreams every day since the side effects of medication began to plunge them into deep sleep. Unable to move freely, in their dreams, they become stuntmen or artists, experiencing lives they have never lived before and freely exploring various parts of the world, embarking on journeys to places they have never been to.

In order to forget the pain of reality, they consume even stronger medication but vomit it up, blurring the line between dreams and reality. Within the days where dreams become reality and reality becomes a dream, they transcend the limits of their physical bodies and, at some point, fall into a journey towards their deepest inner selves. It is a peculiar and beautiful journey for people who, instead of physical freedom, may have found true freedom of the mind.(MO Eun-young)

Audience Award

Nonghyup Award

Watcha’s Pick

Korean Fantastic: Shorts

Best Korean Short Film

A son denies his father’s dementia and a caregiver nurtures him like a child. The son and the caregiver engage in a power struggle within the confined space of a public bathhouse. The mystery that unfolds throughout the movie showcases genre-specific excitement, combined with distinctive imagery. (SEO Eunyoung)

Jury’s Special Mention

One day, a microwave emits a sound signal to a struggling aspiring writer, initiating communication between humans and machines. They fill each other’s loneliness and get closer. As the writer watches a movie, they gradually become captivated by the charm of the microwave and mistakenly believe that this companion machine possesses facial expressions and emotions like a living being. The work raises contemplation about the formation and evolution of relationships. (YEOM Jiho)

Audience Award for Korean Short Film

A man with claustrophobia finds himself trapped in a construction site elevator. He is in a situation where, in order to confirm his identity for a company document process, he must make a phone call within a specified time. The man’s predicament is depicted through an intriguing setup. It is of the thriller genre set in a confined space, with a limited time frame. (SEO Eunyoung)

Watcha’s Pick

A family of three daughters and one son organize their home and belongings after their father’s funeral. During such times, things that were usually well-hidden or seemingly insignificant come to the surface and can become problems. Moreover, some issues may never be resolved, unless confronted at the time. Although they grew up under the same roof, the four siblings, each with different temperaments, reflect the zeitgeist of their time, and the conflicts between them offer a sense of familiarity that brings joy. (SONG Eunji)

Middle school friends So-dam, Yoo-bin, and Ha-seung experience strange phenomena in Yoo-bin’s new house. A house horror story unfolds, with the mysterious dwelling as its backdrop. Together, the three friends delve into the house’s secrets, only to be further tormented by inexplicable occurrences. The story’s intertwining with the house captivates the audience, generating suspense and a deep sense of immersion. (YEOM Jiho)

Méliès International Festivals Federation (MIFF) Award for Best Asian Film

Three generations gather around a dining table. The parents exchange dialogue that sounds like advertising phrases, while the grandparents, burdened yet undeniably happy, radiate joy. The young protagonist, who is seemingly ordinary on the surface, feels left out. Even she grew up enough to prepare nursing exam, strange vibes still emanate from the room at the end of the corridor on second floor, where she had nightmares. However, upon her return, she witnesses her grandparents exhibiting eerie behavior, and hometown folks who seem to be hiding something. She decides to uncover the truth behind this pandemonium.

Is home truly just a place filled with longing? The horror of the film lies in the rural village, where everything seems stagnant like a jar of homemade soy bean paste, in a country where at least one out of three people lives in the metropolitan area. It also depicts the protagonist’s reality of still having to listen to remarks like, “You should marry a doctor when you’re still pretty.” Furthermore, the weight of the phrase “for someone else”, which endlessly weighs her down. This social horror film, produced by the maestro Shimizu Takashi, shines with the outstanding performances of Furukawa Kotone, who showcased her presence in Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy. (HONG Sanghyun)

NETPAC Award

Bonnie, who makes a living running a food truck, carries the burden of unpleasant memories intertwined with her mother’s death during the Hungry Ghost Festival. One night, after finishing work, she meets her uncle and briefly chats with him. When she returns to her hometown, she realizes that her uncle was dead, and she had been chatting to his ghost. Bonnie is now faced with the task of saving her mother’s restless spirit, who has transformed into a hungry ghost, while dealing with the failing family business, her long-desired relationship with her father, and the upcoming Hungry Ghost Festival.

Director CHO We Jun builds a drama of resolving past grievances among family members based on the customs of ghost month in the Chinese-speaking area, where the spirits of the deceased are said to visit the living in the month of July, when empty seats and meticulously prepared meals are provided for them. The film’s perspective, sometimes comic and sometimes full of warm empathy, brings a unique touch that distinguishes it from typical horror movies that portray ghosts as objects of fear. At the same time, it serves as an emotional appeal to the universal theme of family. (CHO Jaewhee)

Odd Family Award

Batteries, which are used in everyday life to enable peaceful days, also need to be recharged. Following the previous film, Battery Daddy, the active role of the Battery Mommy in a nursery with soap bubble guns, thermometers, and the heartwarming bond of the Battery Family, fills the hearts of viewers with positive energy. The unique craftsmanship and warmth of Director Jeon Seungbae, who meticulously creates each frame using felt cloth, shine through in this stop-motion animation. (MO Eun-young)

The story about a child who gave up running for class president because they would have to give away hamburgers if elected became a hot topic, and was an unacceptable situation in the world of children. The movie takes place in an elementary school and depicts the history of class struggles through this school election. It is quite intense, satisfying and also has a delightful and humorous adaptation of the nonconformist sentiment in the style of Tim Burton, but with a Korean touch. (SONG Eunji)