By Xu Aiying and Charles Audouin
Video = BIFF's official YouTube channel

The annual Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), now upgraded to an "A-list" global cinematic event, is gearing up for its latest edition next month.

At a news conference for the event at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Seoul's Jung-gu District, BIFF Director Jung Hanseok said, "BIFF's global status has indeed skyrocketed since its 30th edition last year."

"I emphasize that BIFF has taken on the role of raising international recognition and exchange."

In March, the International Federation of Film Producers Associations added BIFF to its list of the world’s top 17 "A-list" movie festivals.

The winner of the Busan Award, the top prize in BIFF's Competition section, is now eligible for submission to the Best International Feature Film category of the Academy Awards. The U.S. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which is in charge of the Oscars, recognizes only six festivals that can submit films: BIFF, Cannes, Venice, Berlin, Sundance and Toronto.

BIFF on Sept. 7 will take part in the Lumiere Summit in southern France for talks on the future of film and video content. President Lee Jae Myung and French counterpart Emmanuel Macron will be among some 150 leading figures from about 30 countries at the event.

The main programs and featured works of this year's BIFF were unveiled at the news conference.

The selection features 246 works from 59 countries, including 95 world premieres. The opening film is Kim Jong-kwan's "The Table: Day and Night," the story of a lighthearted, down-to-Earth and endearing conversation among four couples at a cafe set between summer and fall.

The Icon section, which features the latest works by globally acclaimed directors, will screen a record 36 films. They include "Fjord" by director Cristian Mungiu and "All of a Sudden," the top prize winner at this year's Cannes Film Festival by director Ryusuke Hamaguchi.

The domestic works "Possible Love" by director Lee Chang-dong and "Nowhere to Lay My Eyes" by director Hong Sang-soo will also be shown as part of this section.

This year's BIFF also reflects the global rise of animation, a genre whose films topped the box office in China and Japan last year and saw Netflix's supernova "KPop Demon Hunters" become a world phenomenon.

Accordingly, the festival's program "Japanese Animation Special: Masterpieces of Madness, Exhilarating Prospects 12+1" will screen 13 animated features and shorts from Japan not readily accessible in Korea.

Marking its second year, the Competition section will have 14 films vie for the Busan Award, BIFF's top prize.

Befitting its newly acquired A-list status, the festival will also attract top directors and actors from across the globe. Michelle Yeoh, the first Asian to win the Oscar for Best Actress, will attend to accept BIFF's Asian Filmmaker of the Year Award.

Celebrated French actor Isabelle Huppert and Indonesian counterpart Christine Hakim will also be there, while Iranian filmmaker Majid Majidi, a familiar name to Korean audiences, will make his first visit to the nation with his Competition entry "Midday Meal."

BIFF will run from Oct. 6-15 at Busan Cinema Center and seven other theaters spanning 31 screens.

xuaiy@korea.kr