On July 8, the 2nd Day of Its Opening, More than 300 Domestic and Foreign Cineastes Attended BIFAN

Filmmakers and cineastes from Korea and abroad visited the 26th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN), which opened as an offline event with the audience for the first time in 3 years, and at 8 p.m. on July 8, the K-Movie Night Bucheon 2022 venue was crowded.

The Korean Film Council (KOFIC, Chairperson Park Kiyong) has hosted the ‘K- Movie Night’ event at major international film festivals to introduce Korean films and strengthen the network between Korean and foreign filmmakers. Major domestic and foreign film festivals could not be held normally during the COVID-19 Pandemic, and the K-Movie Night was also unavailable, but in 2022, K-Movie Night came back starting with the Jeonju International Film Festival in April, followed by the Festival de Cannes Film in May and the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival in July.

K-Movie Night Bucheon 2022 opened with a welcoming speech by Chairperson Park Kiyong. Park Kiyong, Chairman of the Committee, said, "Good news is coming from Korean theaters, which had to suffer a big crisis for a while. And we should continue this lively vibe steadily. We need to restore the movie ecosystem as soon as possible so that K-Movie can fly on the global stage. KOFIC, the 'K-Movie Capital,' will take the lead for the work."

The event was followed by a video screening of the major films invited to the 26th BIFAN and greetings from the invited directors. Also, the movies and the directors of 'It's Going on: 39+1, KAFA,' one of BIFAN's major programs this year, were on the stage. ‘It's Going on: 39+1, KAFA' is a special program that celebrates the 40th anniversary of the Korean Academy of Film Arts (KAFA) in 2023, reflecting the importance of KAFA, which has produced outstanding directors in the Korean film industry. After introducing all the programs, Korean and foreign filmmakers and cineastes who filled the venue cheered for Korean films with a toast of "For Korean films!" Following Jeonju and Cannes, more than 300 Korean and foreign filmmakers and cineastes attended K-Movie Night in Bucheon to quench the thirst of the network, which had been suspended for 3 years.

The 26th BIFAN will be held for 11 days from July 7 to 17 under the slogan ‘Stay Strange.’