Fan Bingbing, Kim Jeewoon Curate Busan Carte Blanche Picks

The 31st Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) has unveiled its Carte Blanche lineup, featuring personal film selections from actor Fan Bingbing, director Kim Jeewoon and cinematographer Hong Kyung-pyo.

Carte Blanche, a French term meaning complete freedom of choice, invites prominent figures from film and culture to pick titles that shaped their own sensibilities and discuss them with audiences after each screening.

Fan, whose commanding screen presence has carried a wide range of roles, has also served on juries at international festivals. She chose Park Chan-wook’s “The Handmaiden.” “‘The Handmaiden’ weaves together desire, deception and power through its exquisite aesthetic, while following two women trapped in their own predicaments as they confront one another, ultimately saving themselves and breaking free from the constraints of fate,” Fan said. “The women captured through director Park Chan-wook’s lens are both dangerous and free. I was deeply captivated by its clarity, boldness and vitality.”

Kim, who made his directorial debut with “The Quiet Family” in 1998 and went on to direct “A Tale of Two Sisters,” “A Bittersweet Life” and “The Age of Shadows” before crossing into Hollywood with “The Last Stand” and returning to Cannes out of competition with “Cobweb,” picked George Miller’s “Mad Max.” “‘Mad Max’ is the beginning of a great legend and the wildest, toughest, and most instinctive film in the entire series,” Kim said. “The shock and fear I felt from the sheer force of its energy when I first saw this film are still vivid. It is a film that proves what true ‘cinematic cinema’ can be.”

Hong, whose cinematography credits include “Snowpiercer,” “The Wailing” and “Parasite,” selected Krzysztof Kieslowski’s “Three Colours: Blue.” “Every time I watch ‘Three Colours: Blue,’ the loss and solitude captured in its blue hues feel new, and it reminds me once again of how deeply images can convey emotion,” Hong said.

Elsewhere at the festival, the Busan Story Market (BSM), operated by the Asian Contents & Film Market (ACFM), has added nine more titles across two new tracks: four Hong Kong IP selections, which bring its official selections count to 29, and a newly launched Remake IP section debuting with five Thai films tracked separately from that tally. The Remake IP section, covering rights to remake completed films, draws its inaugural lineup from Thailand, this year’s ACFM Country of Honor: horror mystery “Midnight Incense,” coming-of-age comedy “Happy Monday(s),” family thriller “Home for Rent,” horror-romance “My Boo” and wedding comedy “Congrats My Ex!” A pitching session for the five Thai titles takes place Oct. 10, followed by business meetings running through Oct. 13.

The Hong Kong additions were picked by the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency (CCIDA) and comprise three animated shorts plus one comic, spanning genres from culinary drama to AI detective thriller. They include “Blacky the Metal Arm Cat,” about a warrior displaced by alien technology; suspense drama “Cirkillation”; family restaurant story “Tai Lung Fung – Full Throttle Kitchen”; and comic “Disposable Dolly,” centered on an AI detective investigating a string of murders. BSM’s organizers see potential across the four titles for expansion into animated series, feature-length films, merchandise and digital content.

The 31st Busan International Film Festival will Oct. 6-15, at the Busan Cinema Center and venues throughout Busan, with the 21st Asian Contents & Film Market is held Oct. 10-13.

REMAKE IP THAILAND

“Congrats My Ex!” – Prueksa Amaruji – Fearfolks – Romance, Comedy – 2023
“Happy Monday(s)” – Chakorn Chaiprecha – Shinesaeng Ad.Venture – Comedy, Drama – 2025
“Home for Rent” – Sophon Sukdaphisit – GDH559 – Thriller, Horror, Drama – 2023
“Midnight Incense” – Worarit Nilklom – True CJ Creations – Horror, Drama, Mystery – 2026
“My Boo” – Khomkrit Treewimol – Jungka Plus Studio Co., Ltd. – Romance, Comedy, Horror – 2024

HONG KONG IP

“Blacky the Metal Arm Cat” – Nic Ho – Intoxic Studio Limited – Drama, Action – Animation
“Cirkillation” – Tsang Fung Chi Kevin – Queenkong Land ACG., Co., Ltd. – Drama, Suspense – Animation
“Disposable Dolly” – Ben Liu – Catnip Comic Studio Co. – Action, Sci-Fi, Suspense – Comics
“Tai Lung Fung – Full Throttle Kitchen” – So Yat Man Rock, Poon Chi Wai Tony – Fanflare Creative Limited – Drama, Fantasy – Animation