Busan Fest Honors Ahn Sung-ki, Market Names Thailand Country of Honor

The 31st Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) has unveiled a Special Program in Focus honoring the late Korean screen legend Ahn Sung-ki, while the festival’s market arm has named Thailand the first-ever recipient of a new top-tier country partnership.

“Those Beautiful Years, Ahn Sung-ki” serves as the grand finale to the nationwide tributes paid to the actor, who died earlier this year. The six-film lineup was hand-picked by Ahn himself before his passing and centers on his 1980s and 1990s peak, including “A Fine, Windy Day” (1980), “Whale Hunting” (1984), “Chil-su and Man-su” (1988), “Gagman” (1989), “White Badge” (1992) and “Festival” (1996). Each screening will include a guest visit featuring longtime collaborators, among them directors Lee Jang-ho, Bae Chang-ho and Chung Jiyoung, along with actors Kim Bo-Yeon and Bae Jong-ok. BIFF will also publish an essay collection on Ahn’s career and legacy, co-hosted with the Korean Film Archive. Ahn’s screen career stretched nearly seven decades, from his 1957 debut as a child actor through his later years as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and longtime member of the BIFF festival committee.

Elsewhere at the festival, the Asian Contents & Film Market (ACFM) has launched a Country of Honor program, its highest-tier country partnership, naming Thailand as the inaugural recipient for 2026. The designation builds on a long history of ties between the two markets, including Pen-ek Ratanaruang’s “Ploy,” picked for the Pusan Promotion Plan in 2006, and Aditya Assarat’s “Wonderful Town,” which took the New Currents prize at the festival in 2007. More than 540 foreign film and TV productions shot in Thailand last year, drawn in part by cash rebates of up to 30% for eligible projects.

Chookiat Sakveerakul, president of the Thai Film Directors Association, said, “Thailand is deeply honored to be named the first Country of Honor at ACFM 2026.” He added that the partnership would “open new doors for Thai films and content to reach wider international audiences, while strengthening collaboration between Thailand, South Korea, and partners across the global industry.”

The 31st Busan International Film Festival runs Oct. 6-15, with the 21st Asian Contents & Film Market held Oct. 10-13.