20 Must-see short films from the 30th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival 2026 (Part 1)

By Asian Film Festival on June 30, 2026 • ( Leave a comment )

These are twenty short films you shouldn’t miss at the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (South Korea), which will take place from July 2 – 12, 2026.

Bleat! by Ananth Subramaniam – Malaysia, Philippines, France | 2025 – 15 minutes | Korean Premiere
Section: Bucheon Choice World: Shorts 1

An elderly Malaysian-Tamil couple discovers their male goat, set for ceremonial slaughter, is pregnant. Torn between faith and the expectations of their community, they struggle to decide whether to slaughter it or face the wrath of the gods. (BIFAN 2026)

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Coming of Age by Lee Jung-hyun – Korea | 2026 – 21 minutes | World Premiere
Section: Bucheon Choice Korean: Shorts 1

In today’s harsh world, where it’s hard to live even if you want to work, Jae-soon, who struggles to get through each day without any preparation for the future, has a dream. It is to share three warm meals a day with her daughter in a safe and stable home. To prepare a coming-of-age gift for her daughter, Su-min, she sells pieces of her own body. (BIFAN 2026)

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DIRECTOR’S CHAIR by Lee Hyung-gu – Korea | 2025 – 25 minutes
Section: Fantastic Shorts 7

Lee Chun-gu (27, male), a thriving film director in North Korea, stumbles upon Netflix through a USB drive he acquires by chance. Disillusioned by the propaganda films he has been producing, he begins to question his work. Under the constant surveillance of the State Security agents who monitor every shoot, Lee risks his life for the first time in pursuit of genuine artistic expression—knowing full well it puts him in direct conflict with state security system. (BIFAN 2026)

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Ghosting by Kim Hee-soo – Korea | 2026 – 19 minutes | World Premiere
Section: Bucheon Choice Korean: Shorts 3

A woman visits her boyfriend’s place after he abruptly cuts off contact. When she finally finds him, he seems a little… no, very strange. (BIFAN 2026)

Intermission by Yang Jeong-ho – Korea | 2026 – 17 minutes | World Premiere
Section: Fantastic Shorts 3

When the intermission begins, actress Sohae (29, female) asks stage director Eungchan (31, male) to cancel her performance, saying that she saw someone with a knife. Eungchan looks for someone with a knife as Sohae requested, but it is not easy. Meanwhile, Sohae disappears. There are five minutes left, and Eungchan goes out to find Sohae… (BIFAN 2026)

Trailer:

Magma by Felt Kim – Korea | 2026 – 21 minutes | World Premiere
Section: Fantastic Shorts 11

After setting fire to his own house, Ju-young’s father vanished without a trace. When she receives news that fragments of his bones have been discovered, Ju-young returns to her hometown village — and to see her Deaf younger brother, Se-hyung. The village and the mountains are unnaturally quiet. So quiet, it feels as though something beneath them is beginning to boil. Drawn deeper into that silence, Ju-young must slowly dig up what has long been buried there. Within that unknowable silence, something is seething. (BIFAN 2026)

Trailer:

MAMA+MAMA by Park Hye-min – Korea | 2026 – 20 minutes | World Premiere
Section: Bucheon Choice Korean: Shorts 1

One day, Mom splits into two. They look identical — it’s impossible to tell which one is real. When her son starts saying strange things, she grows anxious and irritated. “Then get rid of one,” she tells him. But which one should he choose? Why did she divide in two? Who’s really broken — the mother, or the son? (BIFAN 2026)

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Mixedup Shaman by Kim Keun-ho – Korea | 2026 – 24 minutes
Section: Fantastic Shorts 3

Suyeon, a Korean girl with a Vietnamese mother, suffers from shinbyeong (a spiritual illness). She survives the grueling initiation ritual, only to discover the spirit possessing her is a Vietnamese god. The local shaman refuses to help, claiming Suyeon must go to Vietnam to receive a foreign deity. Determined to stay in the only home she knows, Suyeon and her friends launch a wild operation to keep her in Korea. (BIFAN 2026)

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My Killer Erotic Video by Seo Sae-rom, Bae I-saac – Korea | 2026 – 19 minutes
Section: Fantastic Shorts 11

Saemi, an art student, collapses at the slightest touch of a man. Her world is thrown into a whirlwind of desire and dread when she meets Woong—the first man she truly longs for. But as a mysterious entity begins preying on women on campus, Saemi’s trauma reaches its breaking point. Caught between flight and confrontation, she makes a choice no one ever expected. (BIFAN 2026)

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One and Only by Lee Jong-woo – Korea | 2025 – 30 minutes | World Premiere
Section: Fantastic Shorts 12

Dong-il (38, male) and Mi-hyun (38, female), who are about to divorce, are contemplating drug administration that allows them to love each other forever. (BIFAN 2026)

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