These are ten short films you shouldn’t miss from the Busan International Film Festival which is taking place from September 17 – 26, 2025 in Busan, South Korea.

A Man Who Takes Pictures of Flowers by Yoo Lee – USA | 2025 – 14 minutes | World Premiere

The life of Kim Jung Myung, who spent 40 years photographing wildflowers, unfolds in stop-motion animation. His 1.5 million still photographs are transformed into time-lapse video, seamlessly woven together with stop-motion characters. Layered with Kim’s own voiceover, the film constructs a profoundly beautiful and singular world that offers quiet, unassuming happiness. (KANG Sowon)

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Fruit by Lim Jen Nee – Singapore | 2025 – 15 minutes | World Premiere

In a time and place where abortion is illegal, a husband rejoices at the news of pregnancy while his wife secretly attempts to terminate it. After failed attempts through jumping, running, and medication, she encounters a strange bus and its peculiar driver. (PARK Sungho)

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In Our Sunset by Kim Soyeon – Korea | 2025 – 27 minutes | World Premiere

Nearing college graduation, Soyeon returns home. From Hoengseong, where her mother lives, to Hongcheon, where her grandmother resides, the days shared by three generations of women unfold like a documentary. Ordinary yet special moments, marked by casual conversations and tender emotions. Kim Soyeon’s film sinks deep into the heart with understated charm. (KANG Sowon)

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Into the Light by Lee Nakyung – Korea | 2025 – 22 minutes | World Premiere

Living in a group home, 17-year-old Park Seon dreams of becoming an actor. But she must leave and face life alone at 18. Caught between her reality and dream, Seon hears of a ‘wish-granting underpass.’ A unique coming-of-age tale with the metaphor of passage through a dark tunnel and the fantasy of meeting one’s future self. (KANG Sowon)

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It Sounds Louder on Rainy Days by Kim Sang-yun – Korea | 2025 – 30 minutes | World Premiere

On her father’s birthday, Jihee visits her childhood home with her husband and child, feeling anxious. Having married against her family’s wishes, she shrinks under her father’s coldness until tensions finally erupt. A family drama with moments that evoke Kore-eda Hirokazu’s Still Walking. (KANG Sowon)

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No Island in the Sea by Wang Zhi-Xiang – Taiwan | 2024 – 25 minutes | International Premiere

Fuqing, China. Eleven-year-old Wei lives with his grandmother and eight-year-old cousin. The cousin prepares to emigrate to live with her mother in Taiwan, but Wei, fearing their separation, secretly begins sabotaging the plan. (PARK Sungho)

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Noise Cancellation by Choi Jihye – Korea | 2025 – 22 minutes | World Premiere

After injuring her arm at work, Miju fights for industrial accident compensation. Yet she also endures sleepless nights, haunted by screams from her neighbors that only she can hear due to her hypersensitive hearing. A collective drama of social disaster unfolds through the lens of a horror film. (KANG Sowon)

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Please P(r)ay Attention by Vasupol Suwanjuta – Thailand | 2025 – 25 minutes | World Premiere

Once full of dreams, a young couple now scrapes by without decent jobs after graduating from college. One day, after bringing home a ‘lucky tree,’ their lives seem to turn around. But for ordinary citizens, how much is a dream really worth? (PARK Sungho)

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Poetry Syndrome by Oh Seyeon – Korea | 2025 – 21 minutes | World Premiere

Two young souls meet for a poetry reading in an urban forest pavilion. The woman begins: “If you love too much, you become a ghost.” She hopes to convey her feelings through poetry, but the man is fixated on the form. Then comes an unexpected twist. Fluttering glances, subtle humor, ingenious poetry, and Oh Seyeon’s unmistakable touch. (KANG Sowon)

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Rihanna by Suraj Paudel – Nepal | 2025 – 17 minutes | World Premiere

In rural Nepal, thirteen-year-old Saraswoti changes her name to Rihanna. The school principal scolds and disciplines her for blindly imitating Western culture. She wants to prove herself with quiet support from her watchful mother. (PARK Sungho)

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Throughout These Cages by Aaron Pratama – Indonesia | 2025 – 16 minutes | World Premiere

After the father’s death, the mother and son are left alone together. Following his father’s will, the son tries to remodel their old house, but the mother does not welcome his efforts. The trauma etched into the items and the space still keeps their hearts confined. (PARK Sungho)

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Yellow Ghost by Pyun Seokhoon – Korea | 2025 – 17 minutes | World Premiere

Seoul Station at dawn. An old man crosses the plaza, humming as he pulls a cart full of discarded paper. During his brief sleep, the city awakens and daily life resumes. Suddenly, his sense of time warps, and the film is interrupted by other gazes. What dream did he have? A hazy yet vivid psychological disaster unfolds. (KANG Sowon)

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