Busan Film Festival Unveils Selections for IP and Project Markets

Some 18 books, manga and webtoons hailing from outside Korea have been added to the Busan International Film Festival’s Busan Story Market. They join 29 previously announced pieces of IP from Korea and 30 Asian film projects selected for the Asian Project Market.

The overseas IP selections include ten from Taiwan spanning the drama and romance genres with elements of fantasy, thriller and science fiction, and six from Japan (five books and one comic) covering sci-fi, murder mystery, time travel and stage magic. Two more hail from France – one in the comedy genre, the other in the historical romance vein –marking a difference from previous years where French films for remake had been the focus.

This year’s Korean IP section for the Busan Story Market includes 11 books, eight webtoons, six web novels and four stories, selected from 237 submissions by 110 companies. “This selection process reflects a shift from previous years, where stories were more prevalent, to a greater emphasis on books and web novels,” market organizers said. “These IPs feature unique characters and original storytelling spanning a wide spectrum of genres, ranging from human dramas that delve into universal emotions to mystery period pieces, romance dramas, film noir, horror, and psychological thrillers.”

The long-running Asian Project Market, previously known as the Pusan Project Plan) received a record 441 submissions, which selectors narrowed down to 30, hailing from 17 countries or territories. “This year’s lineup features an expanded variety of genres, including crime thrillers, horror, queer cinema, and animated films, alongside the more traditional selections of drama, comedy and romance,” organizers said.

Highlights include “Nothing Happened,” the debut fiction feature of Chan Tze-woon, whose 2022 documentary-fiction hybrid “Blue Island,” about social and political change in Hong Kong, was a multi-festival prize-winner, and “The Camford Experiment,” a coming-of-age piece with a Korean American protagonist, directed by Malaysian filmmaker Woo Ming Jin (“Stone Turtle”).

Kirsten Tan, the New York-based Singaporean director who won the screenwriting award at Sundance in 2017 with “Pop Aye,” attends the market with “Crocodile Rock.” The project is produced by Singapore’s Tan Si En, who has a second project selected for the APM, “Levitating,” by Wregas Bhanuteja whose previous film “Photocopier” screened at the New Currents section in 2021.

Other familiar faces in Busan include Iqbal H. Chowdhury, whose project “Dhakar Nagin” follows his New Currents Award win last year. Also returning is Sotoyama Bunji with “Life Redo List,” after “Soirée” screened at the festival in 2020.

The APM selection includes seven projects from Korea: “A Way to Étretat,” by Shin Suwon, “Door-Frame,” by Jeong Beom, “The Birds,” by Sohn Hyun-lok, “Hellfire Club,” by Shin Aga, “Ulaanbaatar,” by Kang Donghun, “Strange Marriage,” by Jung Wonhee, and “Do Bye, Nursing Hospital” by Oh Seyeon.

Both the Story Market and the APM are components of Busan’s Asian Contents & Film Market. The ACFM will take place Oct. 5-8 at the Busan Exhibition and Convention Center (BEXCO). The 29th Busan International Film Festival will take place from Oct. 2-11 for ten days at Busan Cinema Center and its surrounding areas.