These are our twenty recommended feature films from the Busan International Film Festival, which will take place from October 2 – 11, 2024 in Busan, South Korea.

For this festival we also recommended 10 Documentaries (See HERE) and 10 Short Films (See HERE).

Aimitagai by Kusano Shogo – Japan | 2024 – 106 minutes | International Premiere

Some moments in life are decided in a flash. Life and death can be separated by a few seconds, and a stranger’s actions can change the present of another’s life. Aimitagai focuses on such chain reactions of fate. Azusa and Kanami have been best friends since high school. After Kanami dies in an unexpected accident, Azusa despairs yet finds comfort in sending text messages to Kanami’s cellphone. Kanami’s parents wonder about Azusa’s identity, and upon visiting the orphanage that their dead daughter cared about, are moved by her good deeds. The dead do not come back to life, but their traces shake people’s hearts in various ways, and small, good deeds come together to make the world a place worth living. (NAM Dong-chul)

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Deal at the Border by Dastan Zhapar Ryskeldi – Kyrgyzstan | 2024 – 104 minutes | World Premiere

At the Kyrgyzstan-Kazakhstan border, Aza and Samat work as members of a drug trafficking organization. One day, they run into Nazik, who has narrowly escaped from human traffickers. Aza decides to give up the drug money and save Nazik, but Nazik tragically dies while crossing a river. Aza is determined to at least return Nazik’s remains to her homeland, but his decision thrusts him into even greater danger. The border regions of Central Asian countries, that are located adjacent to Afghanistan where massive amounts of drugs are produced, are hotspots for drug trafficking and organized crime. As those desperate for survival struggle to maintain a shred of dignity, the camera frequently pulls back to capture the vast and indifferent mountainous landscapes of the borderlands. (PARK Sun Young)

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Fragment by Kim Sung-yoon – Korea | 2024 – 105 minutes | World Premiere

A distant view of a densely packed residential neighborhood. Suddenly, a scream is heard from somewhere. After this intriguing opening scene, we see a middle school boy and his younger sister, an elementary school girl, getting ready for school in a messy house with no adults around. In another house in the village, a high school boy is living alone in a desolate home. Fragment follows the children of both the perpetrator and the victim, left alone in the world after a murder claimed their parents. The film breathlessly alternates between their lives, highlighting the contradictory and brutal existence they’ve been burdened with. (JUNG Hanseok)

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Hear Me: Our Summer by Jo Seon-ho – Korea | 2024 – 109 minutes | World Premiere

26-year-old Yong-jun is troubled by his lack of dreams when he falls for the same-age Yeo-reum at first sight. Yeo-reum takes care of her little sister Ga-eul, a swimmer with hearing impairments, regarding her sister’s Olympic aspirations as her own dream. While youthful feelings seem to blossom between Yong-jun and Yeo-reum, she finds herself unfamiliar with these emotions and feels guilt toward her sister. (JEONG Jihye)

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Humming by Lee Seungjae – Korea | 2024 – 102 minutes | World Premiere

Recording engineer Seong-hyeon is troubled by a request for post-production dubbing. The leading actress, Mi-jeong, has passed away, and no one knows the content of the ad-libs she performed in a crucial scene of the film. Minor actress Min-young visits Seong-hyeon’s studio to record Mi-jeong’s lines, but the director who was supposed to come is nowhere to be found. (JUNG Hanseok)

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Inserts by Lee Jong-su – Korea | 2024 – 136 minutes | World Premiere

Jin Joo-seok works as an insert director on a commercial movie set. When Ma Chu-hyun, who has a strange aura, joins the film team, the two become close and spend the night together. However, the next day, Ma Chu-hyun gets angry with Jin Joo-seok for some reason. Afterwards, Jin Joo-seok waits for Ma Chu-hyun with a longing heart. (JUNG Hanseok)

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Kike Will Hit a Home Run by Park Songyeol – Korea | 2024 – 97 minutes | World Premiere

Young-tae and Mi-joo are happy to move into a small but cozy monthly rental house. However, Young-tae’s business partner suddenly breaks the agreement to run a restaurant together. Young-Tae leaves home to earn money, leaving Mi-joo alone. Mi-joo lives diligently while waiting for Young-tae. (JUNG Hanseok)

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Ma – Cry of Silence by The Maw Naing – Myanmar, Korea, Singapore, France, Norway, Qatar | 2024 – 74 minutes | World Premiere

MA – Cry of Silence is a story about Mi-Thet, an 18-year-old woman. She becomes the head of the household in Myanmar, a country that has gone through a humanitarian crisis following a coup d’état, experiencing the collapse of her community and family. As the military systematically destroys rural villages under the pretext of eliminating resistance forces, young people flock to the cities. Mi-Thet gets a job at a garment factory with others in similar circumstances and leads a life commuting between the dormitory and the factory. Enduring frequent blackouts and the constant sound of gunfire, she suffers from poor meals and demands for overdue rent but persistently continues to send money to her family. In this precarious existence, non-payment of wages becomes a significant crisis in her life. Her colleagues, who are fed up with sexual harassments and unpaid wages, go on strike, but Mi-Thet hesitates to join them. Thus, her youth, which should have been bright, becomes marked by darkness and bitterness. (PARK Sungho)

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Method Acting by Lee Ki-hyuk – Korea | 2024 – 92 minutes | World Premiere

Method Acting is a film that deliberately aims to be funny, and its deadpan approach makes it even more amusing and poignant. The star in this remarkable comic film is, ironically, Actor Lee Donghwi (played by himself), who hates comic acting. Despite his efforts to reinvent himself, opportunities seem elusive, and he finds himself increasingly despondent. Unexpectedly, he receives a surprising offer to play a king in a traditional costume drama. Determined to perfect his portrayal of this majestic royal character, Donghwi dives into method acting. However, things quickly become unconventional in this historical drama. (HONG Eunmi)

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Montages of a Modern Motherhood by Oliver Siu Kuen Chan – Hong Kong, China | 2024 – 112 minutes | World Premiere

Jing’s day begins with a graceful tracking shot that follows her from the early morning as she pumps breast milk, leaves her baby with her mother-in-law, and heads to the bakery where she works. Her baby daughter Qing is difficult and cries constantly and Jing frequently clashes with her live-in in-laws over childcare and housework, while her husband, who works as a delivery driver, views parenting as something he occasionally helps with. All she did was have a child, yet Jing’s life is turned upside down, leaving her in a situation where all her efforts to build her career have been negated. (PARK Sun Young)

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To see the second part of this article please go HERE.
For this festival we also recommended 10 Documentaries (See HERE) and 10 Short Films (See HERE).

More information: https://www.biff.kr/eng/