These are twenty feature films you shouldn’t miss at the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival which will take place from July 3 – 13, 2025 in Bucheon, South Korea.

#Iwilltellyouthetruth by Toyoshima Keisuke – Japan | 2025 – 117 minutes
Section: Adrenaline Ride

During a night shift, security guard Kiriyama watches a popular live streaming show titled ‘#Iwilltellyouthetruth’ from the guardroom. The show is known for exposing the hidden truths behind sensational incidents and gossip, offering cash rewards and tips in return. The more shocking the revelation, the hotter the viewer reaction—and the greater the payout. In desperate need of money, Kiriyama decides to join the program and is eventually selected as a participant. However, what he faces is a truth far more immense and unimaginable than he ever anticipated. (Martin LEE)

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Baljjeo by Dggyang – Korea | 2025 – 60 minutes | World Premiere
Section: Adrenaline Ride

“When Mirim turns twenty-six, she will go blind.” The prophecy of ‘Grandma Baek’ shakes Mirim’s family to its core. To escape this ominous fate, the family decides to take in a surrogate to bear the curse on their behalf. Thus, Jinkoo is brought into the household. At first, the ritual seems to succeed. Mirim’s eyesight remains intact, but Jinkoo pays a tragic price, losing his life in an accident. Years pass, and Mirim lives burdened by guilt and longing for Jinkoo. One day, a pilgrim arrives at their old family home, claiming to bridge the boundary between the living and the dead—through whom Mirim hopes to reunite with Jinkoo. (Kani KIM)

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Cielo by Alberto Sciamma – UK | 2025 – 108 minutes | Asian Premiere
Section: Bucheon Choice: Features

An eight-year-old girl, Santa, lives with a loving mom and an abusive dad. After swallowing a yellow fish, she sets on a journey to bring her suffering mother to heaven, which she believes is at the end of the desert, by driving an old, broken down truck she bought from an old priest, and hopping on a bus full of female wrestlers with her mom aboard in a coffin. Would she succeed in her quest? (Jongsuk Thomas NAM)

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Classroom Delusions by Seo Eun-young – Korea | 2024 – 102 minutes | World Premiere
Section: Korean Fantastic: Features

The film starts with a question surrounding Hae-sung, the boy who died and the main culprit of the bombing. Classroom Delusions “why would he do such a thing?” Hae-sung did not turn away from the weak, but he was far from an apostle of justice. He was a friendly child to someone, but he was strangely didn’t blend in with anyone. Teacher Jaegon and lawyer Yeojin gather fragmented testimony by searching for people around Hae-sung, but attempts to define the character Haesung are constantly blocked by a wall and do not converge to a single answer. Eventually, a boy who liked quizzes becomes a problem that will remain an eternal mystery. Instead of investigating the cause and effect of the incident, Classroom Delusions focuses on exploring why the explanation is impossible. (CHA Hanbi)

Commission by Shin Jaemin – Korea | 2024 – 113 minutes | Korean Premiere
Section: Adrenaline Ride

The title ‘Commission’ refers to the act of being paid to create a drawing upon request. But what if those commissions become so extreme they cross the boundaries of obscenity and brutality? In the film, the one taking these commissions is Dan-kyung (Kim Hyeon Soo), a young aspiring comic artist. She dreams of success in the webtoon world, especially since her older sister, Ju-kyung (Kim Yong-ji), is already a popular webtoon creator. Hoping to gain recognition, Dan-kyung impulsively visits the dark web and accepts her first commission. As her grotesque drawings bring her not only money but also rising fame, she finds herself sinking deeper into the dark world behind them. However, when a murder takes place that mirrors one of her illustrations, and she tries to fabricate an alibi, her actions escalate into more serious crimes. (HUH Namwoong)

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Ghost Killer by Sonomura Kensuke – Japan | 2024 – 105 minutes | Korean Premiere
Section: Adrenaline Ride

The movie uniquely blends action, horror, and comedy within the tradition of Japanese genre cinema. It follows the spirit of Kudo, a killer who was wrongfully betrayed and killed, whose soul possesses a bullet casing and wanders until he encounters a female college student, Fumika. The story explores ontological hybridity by crossing the boundaries of body and subjectivity. Notably, Fumika is not a passive vessel for possession but an active protagonist who drives the narrative as the agent of vengeance. (KIM Youngwoo)

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I have a S/e/c/r/e/t/ by Nakagawa Shun – Japan | 2025 – 116 minutes | Korean Premiere
Section: Merry-Go-Round

Five children, each with a unique ability to read others’ emotions in their own special way. Shy and reserved, Kyo harbors feelings for the cheerful and popular Mickey, but chooses to stay quietly by her side as just a friend. There’s also Zuka, the charming school idol with both looks and athletic talent; Para, an unpredictable and quirky girl; and Elle, a timid girl with a quiet presence. Each of them keeps their true feelings carefully hidden. One day, Elle’s sudden absence from school sets off a ripple effect, slowly unraveling the secret and delicate emotional threads that tie them together. (Martin LEE)

I KILL U by Yoo Ha – Korea | 2024 – 117 minutes | World Premiere
Section: Adrenaline Ride

Kang Sunwoo, a former promising taekwondo athlete, now lives a life of poverty and exhaustion. One day, while carrying the weight of her painful past, she is suddenly thrust into the spotlight when people notice her uncanny resemblance to a woman named Han Jiyeon. The problem is, Han Jiyeon is the main perpetrator of a ‘drunk driving hit-and-run death case’ and also the heiress of a major conglomerate. As public anger and media scrutiny intensify, the wealthy family secretly searches for a body double to protect their granddaughter. Thinking of her worsening mother’s illness and her lost dreams, Sunwoo accepts the dangerous proposal in exchange for a large sum of money. The mission seems simple enough—at first. But things quickly spiral out of control, and Sunwoo delivers a satisfying catharsis with a powerful roundhouse kick that overturns the unjust responsibilities and irrationalities placed before youth. (Kani KIM)

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Latency by James Croke – USA, Thailand | 2024 – 90 minutes | Asian Premiere
Section: Metal Noir

Hana, a former pro gamer suffering from severe agoraphobia, one day receives a prototype device called ‘Omnia’ from a game company. Designed to detect brainwaves and enhance gaming abilities, ‘Omnia’ presents a chance for Hana—once a promising e-sports star—to make a comeback. With the support of her friend Jen, she enters a gaming tournament using the device, determined to reclaim her former glory. However, the deeper she immerses herself in the game, the more the boundaries between reality and the virtual world begin to blur. ‘Omnia’ evolves from a simple enhancement tool into a threatening presence that begins to consume her mind. (Kani KIM)

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Manok by Lee Yu-jin – Korea | 2025 – 108 minutes | Asian Premiere
Section: Korean Fantastic: Features

Middle-aged lesbian Manok closes down ‘Rainbow’, the queer bar she’s run for years, and returns to her hometown, Iban-ri, following the death of her mother. But home feels as stifling and unfamiliar as ever. The village, where her ex-husband now serves as headman, greets her return with suspicion, and deep-rooted prejudice and exclusion still linger. Yet Manok refuses to back down. To break down the walls between past and present, village and self, she boldly runs for village chief. It’s a declaration—not of rejection, but of affirmation: to live without denying who she is, and to once again take her place at the center, on her own terms. In Iban-ri, Manok finds new beginnings and reconnects with severed ties. Among them are Guem-ja, an old flame, and Jae-yeon, a high school student hiding his true self in the suffocating atmosphere of the countryside. Manok, who lives openly and without apology, becomes a beacon for Jae-yeon, and he, in turn, finds the courage to finally come out to the world. Even far from the days of Rainbow, Manok is still surrounded by strong, loving women who stand by her side. (Kani KIM)

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For more information, please visit: https://www.bifan.kr/eng/