This year's Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival runs from July 4-14 in and around Bucheon, Gyeonggi-do Province. Shown are the two emcees at the opening ceremony on July 4, actors Jang Dong-yoon (left) and Jung Soo-jung (right), speaking to actor Son Yejin, who is the subject of the event's retrospective this year.

By Gil Kyuyoung
Photos: Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival's official homepage

The opening of this year's Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN) on July 4 marked the event's 28th edition.

From July 4-14, the event will show 253 films from 49 countries in and around Bucheon, Gyeonggi-do Province. The new International Competition Section for AI (Artificial Intelligence) Movies added this year is the first of its kind among domestic cinematic festivals.

Actors Jang Dong-yoon and Jung Soo-jung hosted the opening ceremony on July 4. Some 150 film figures attended including fellow actors Son Yejin, Kim Jae-joong and Kwak Si-Yang.

The ceremony featured a pipe organ performance, light show and declaration of the festival's opening by the event's two co-chairs, Bucheon Mayor Cho Yong-eek and film director Chung Jiyoung.

The opening film "Love Lies Bleeding" by British director Rose Glass was played at Bucheon City Hall Main Theater (Eoulmadang). 

The plot is about a daughter from a family of criminals who falls in love with a woman dreaming of winning a bodybuilding competition and gets involved in a murder case. Tickets for the screening were sold out in just 19 seconds. 

Other venues include Fantastic Cube at Bucheon City Hall, Korea Manhwa Museum and CGV Sopoong. Select works will also be shown on the domestic over-the-top platform Waave.

More information on the festival is available on its official website (www.pifan.com).

"This year, BIFAN will show its unique spirit of artistic challenge befitting its status as Asia's largest genre film festival through new efforts to widen its scope of content through artificial intelligence," Mayor Cho said.

"We will keep working together to make BIFAN a festival that movie fans worldwide and Bucheon residents can all enjoy together."

This is the official poster of this year's Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival.