BUCHEON, South Korea -- The Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN) on Wednesday unveiled the list of movies to be screened at this year's edition, with "Love Lies Bleeding" selected as the opening film and "Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In" chosen as the closing film.
In addition to that, the annual film fest, a celebration of genre films from around the world, will showcase 255 short and feature films from around the world.
The opening film, "Love Lies Bleeding," is a queer noir, featuring Kristine Steward, which follows the story of Lou and Jackie who fall in love and get entangled in an accidental murder.
The closing film, "Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In," revolves around Cyclone, who rules the lawless Kowloon Walled City in Hong Kong, and the main character Lok Koon. Both films had their global premieres in January and May, respectively.
BIFAN has chosen eight genre films for the international competition section, "Bucheon Choice," which includes Thea Hvistendahl's "Handling the Undead" and Liao Ming-yi's "Suffocating Love," among others.
As a new addition to the 28th edition, BIFAN has established an award category to judge films created using artificial intelligence (AI) technology, marking the first instance of the country's film festivals recognizing films created using AI technology.
A total of 15 movies have been invited to compete in the category, including "One More Pumpkin" by Korean director Kwon Han-seul.
The organizer has said it plans to assess films not solely based on the AI technology employed but also on their artistic merit and conveyed messages.
BIFAN will also invite experts in the field to discuss related technology and its impact on the film industry as a whole.
Actress Son Ye-jin will be featured in a special section highlighting actors, introducing her filmography from the last 23 years. As one of the country's leading actresses, she has appeared in numerous hit films, including "My Wife Got Married" (2008), "The Pirates" (2014) and "The Last Princess" (2016).
Established in 1997, BIFAN has been held annually in Bucheon, located approximately 20 kilometers west of Seoul. Over the years, it has evolved into South Korea's largest genre film festival.
This year's festival is scheduled to run from July 4 to 14.
