Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) has annouced the 30 projects selected for this year’s Asian Project Market, including two projects produced by high-profile Indian actresses.
The line-up includes Difficult Daughters, directed by Soni Razdan, which is being produced by Alia Bhatt and her sister Shaheen Bhatt, along with veteran Indian indie producer Alan McAlex (Santosh).
Kani Kusruti, who starred in Cannes Palme d’Or winning film All We Imagine As Light, is teaming with the director of that film, Payal Kapadia, to produce The Last Of Them Plagues, directed by Kunjila Mascillamani. Kusruti attended BIFF last year as a jury member for the New Currents competition.
Elsewhere, the line-up includes several other filmmakers with ties to BIFF, including Indian director Pradip Kurbah, recipient of the 2019 Jiseok Award, with new project Moon; Bangladeshi filmmaker Biplob Sarkar, previously invited to BIFF New Currents and returning with LGBTQ+-themed The Magical Men; and Malaysia’s Lau Kok Rui from the BIFF 2022 Asian Film Academy, who is presenting Wake Me up When the Mourning Ends, with Soi Cheang, Stefano Centini and Wong Kew Soon on board as producers.
The line-up also features five Chinese-language projects, with three from Taiwan focusing on female protagonists. Japan is represented by three projects from established directors Shiraishi Kazuya, Fujita Naoya and Zhang Yaoyuan, with stories revolving around the realities of foreign laborers, a reclusive woman’s struggle for identity, and a multifaceted view of what Japanese youth face today.
Seven Korean projects have also been selected from both emerging and mid-career directors, including Gilddong from Park Riwoong, who won the New Currents Award at BIFF 2024 for The Land Of Morning Calm; Arrival Of Water from Jo Heeyoung; Dance Dance Revolution by director Choi Hana (More Than Family); and The Descent by director Kim Hyoeun following her BIFF 2024 invitation for Tango At Dawn.
Asian Project Market (APM) will be held for four days from September 20-23 during the 20th edition of the Asian Contents & Film Market at BEXCO.
ASIAN PROJECT MARKET 2025:
*Supported by ACF Script Development Fund
Arrival Of Water (Korea, Japan)Dir: Jo HeeyoungProd: Park Sejin Black Star Angel* (Armenia, US)Dir: Christine HaroutounianProd: Maxwell Schwartz, Christine Haroutounian Bodoi (Japan)Dir: Shiraishi KazuyaProd: Kii Muneyuki Buy My Car (Japan, China)Dir: Zhang YaoyuanProd: Ichiyama Shozo, Kunizane Mizue, Mo Zhulin Churching Of Women (Jordan)Dir: Darin SallamProd: Deema Azar, Ayah Jardaneh Dance Dance Revolution (Korea)Dir: Choi HanaProd: An Boyoung The Daughter (Hong Kong, China)Dir: Guan TianProd: Vivian Bao, Ding Ningyuan The Descent (Korea)Dir: Kim HyoeunProd: Park Hyunsuk Difficult Daughters (India)Dir: Soni RazdanProd: Alia Bhatt, Shaheen Bhatt, Alan Mcalex, Grishma Shah Disorder (Iraq, Germany)Dir: Shawkat Amin KorkiProd: Mehmet Aktas, Shohreh Golparian, Shawkat Amin Korki Flying Cows (Vietnam)Dir: Nguyen Pham Thanh DatProd: Nguyen Huu Thi Tuong Vi The Funeral March (Japan, China)Dir: Fujita NaoyaProd: Fujita Kanako, Shiina Yasushi, Zou Aiken, Zou Lin Gilddong (Korea, China)Dir: Park RiwoongProd: Yoon Minyoung Gochi (Korea)Dir: Yoon EunkyoungProd: Stanley Kwak Heaven Help Us!* (Philippines)Dir: Eve BaswelProd: John Torres, Jules Katanyag Lanka (The Fire) (India)Dir: Saurav RaiProd: Sudeepta Sadhukhan, Viraj Selot, Ankita Purkayastha The Last Of Them Plagues (India)Dir: Kunjila MascillamaniProd: Payal Kapadia, Jeo Baby, Kani Kusruti Lost And Cow (Thailand)Dir: Thapanee LoosuwanProd: Chonlasit Upanigkit, Somprasong Srikrajang The Magical Men (Bangladesh, Singapore, France, India)Dir: Biplob SarkarProd: Biplob Sarkar, Fran Borgia, Francois d’Artemare, Sankhajit Biswas Moon (India)Dir: Pradip KurbahProd: Pradip Kurbah New Life* (China)Dir: Li YingtongProd: Annie Song No Country For Old Men (Taiwan)Dir: An BonProd: Chen Pao-Ying Paradis Karaoke (Korea)Dir: Byun SungbinProd: Bong Suji Sama (Canada, Afghanistan)Dir: Brishkay AhmedProd: Brishkay Ahmed, Bonnie Do Silence Of The Looms (Bangladesh)Dir: Mirza Shabnam FerdousiProd: Rajib Mohajan Silent Cry (Korea)Dir: Jero YunProd: Jero Yun The Skull Oracle (Taiwan)Dir: Laha MebowProd: Eric Liang Zara Lin, Chen Yi Chen Snake In The Dreamscapes (Taiwan)Dir: Lou Yi-AnProd: Chen Wen Wen, Kao Chun Ting, Hsu Guo-Lun Stuck Like Babies (Kyrgyzstan)Dir: Dastan Zhapar RyskeldiProd: Veronica Rhyme, Aktan Ryskeldiev, Fernanda Renno Wake Me Up When The Mourning Ends (Malaysia, Hong Kong, Italy, Taiwan)Dir: Lau Kok RuiProd: Soi Cheang, Stefano Centini, Wong Kew Soon
