Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) has confirmed programmer Jung Hanseok as its new festival director, almost two years after a high-profile leadership crisis at one of Asia’s biggest festivals.
Jung will begin his four-year tenure in the role tomorrow (March 21). He was recommended to the festival’s board of directors by chairperson Park Kwang-su last week.
Jung has been the Korean cinema programmer at BIFF since 2019 and previously worked as a journalist and film critic at Korean film publication Cine21. He has also served as a jury member for the Buil Film Awards, Jeonju International Film Festival, Seoul Independent Film Festival, and has acted as advisor for the Florence Korea Film Festival and Hong Kong Asian Film Awards.
A statement from BIFF also highlighted that Jung has “played a key role in discovering and supporting emerging Korean filmmakers, contributing to the foundation of the future Korean film industry”.
BIFF’s executive recommendation committee finalised his appointment today, after receiving applications and recommendations via two rounds of open recruitment in January and March this year.
“Jung Hanseok is a highly qualified candidate with a deep understanding of the festival’s internal and external landscape,” said a BIFF statement. “He possesses the capabilities necessary to take the festival to the next level.”
It added that the festival director will be responsible for leading BIFF “towards further development while ensuring its stable operation”.
The appointment comes nearly two years after a string of high-profile resignations that began in May 2023 with the resignation of festival director Huh Moonyung and managing director Cho Jongkook, just five months before that year’s edition. BIFF chairman Lee Yong-kwan and then-director at the Asian Contents & Film Market (ACFM) Oh Seok Geun also resigned in the same year, taking responsibility.
The 28th edition was led by BIFF programmer Nam Dong-chul and the following year was co-led by former senior programmer Pak Dosin and Kang Seung-ah on an interim basis.
This year’s landmark 30th edition is set to be held from September 17-26, close to a month earlier than usual, to avoid the country’s national holiday period that falls in mid-October.
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