Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN)
부천국제판타스틱영화제
Also known as: BIFAN
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Horror, fantasy, science fiction and other forms of genre cinema shape the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN) in Bucheon, South Korea. The festival dates back to 1997. Its programme combines Korean and international features and shorts, Bucheon Choice competitions and non-competitive sections. Beyond Reality explores XR and immersive new media, while BIFAN+ links exhibition with filmmaker education and industry activity, including the NAFF Project Market and Fantastic Film School.
The dates for the 30th edition are 2–12 July 2026. Under the slogan “NEW ERA NEW SKIN,” its programme comprises 321 works from 50 countries, including feature films, shorts, AI films and XR works.
Country
South Korea
Focus
AI, Fantasy, Horror, Mystic, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Categories
Experimental, Feature, Short, Virtual Reality, Web and New Media
Awards and prizes
Bucheon Choice competitions cover international and Korean features and shorts, alongside AI films. Feature awards include Best of Bucheon, directing and jury prizes; shorts receive Best Film and other section-specific awards. Audience awards are decided by audience voting. The Korean competition also includes acting and distribution awards. AI-film prizes recognise the best film and technical achievement. Further awards include the Méliès International Festivals Federation Award for Best Asian Film, FIPRESCI Award, NETPAC Award and Children’s Fantastic Choice Award.
Festival rules
For the 2026 edition, film entries must be produced after 1 January 2025 and must not have been released in Korea. The official call accepts international features and shorts across horror, thriller, fantasy, science fiction, noir, comedy, documentary, coming-of-age, family, hybrid and experimental cinema. Entries are submitted through the festival’s Eventival portal. Beyond Reality has a separate call for XR and new media works, and NAFF has separate project-market eligibility requirements.
Contacts
- bifan.kr
- +82 32 327 6313 — General festival office; official BIFAN Organization page.
- 10F Webtoon Convergence Center, 17 Gilju-ro, Bucheon, Gyeonggi-do, Korea (14505) — Official festival office address.
- films@bifan.kr — Feature film submissions; Programming Team.
- short@bifan.kr — Short film submissions; Programming Team.
- naff.itproject@bifan.kr — NAFF Project Market submissions; Market Operations Team.
- naff2@bifan.kr — NAFF business meetings; Market Operations Team.
- newmedia@bifan.kr — Beyond Reality XR and new media submissions; New Media Team.
- badge@bifan.kr — Guest, BIFAN+ industry and BIFANIAN accreditation.
- ai2@bifan.kr — Fantastic Film School Creator and University courses.
- ai@bifan.kr — AI Cinema Camp; AI filmmaking education.
- ffs@bifan.kr — Fantastic Film School Global Course; Creativity Support Team.
- summit@bifan.kr — Bucheon AI Contents Summit.
- contest@bifan.kr — BIFAN × The Manta Story AI short-form drama screenplay competition.
- vp.eventival.com — Official 2026 film submission portal.
- plus.bifan.kr — BIFAN+ industry programmes, NAFF, new media and filmmaker education.
- guest.bifan.kr — Professional accreditation information.
- instagram.com — Official Instagram.
- youtube.com — Official YouTube channel.
- twitter.com — Official X / Twitter.
- facebook.com — Official Facebook.
- blog.naver.com — Official Naver blog.