2024 BIFF Asian Project Market announces 30 official selections

The Asian Project Market (APM) has revealed the 30 projects officially selected for its 2024 edition, set to take place from October 5 (Sat) to 8 (Tues) in Busan, South Korea. As Asia’s most prominent investment and co-production market, APM continues to serve as a vital platform for connecting filmmakers with international investors and collaborators.

Record Number of Submissions and Diverse Genre Representation Highlight Asia’s Premier Investment and Co-Production Market
Marking its 27th year, the 2024 APM has achieved a new milestone with an all-time high of 441 submissions from 44 regions. From this extensive pool of projects emerging from Asia’s diverse political, social, and cultural backgrounds, 30 projects representing 17 regions were meticulously selected. This year’s lineup features an expanded variety of genres, including crime thrillers, horror, queer cinema, and animated films, alongside the more traditional selections of drama, comedy and romance. The selection underscores APM’s commitment to promoting diverse storytelling and creative freedom across Asia.

The 2024 lineup includes several filmmakers previously recognised at the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF). Among them is Iqbal H. Chowdhury, whose project Dhakar Nagin follows his New Currents Award win last year. Also returning is Wregas Bhanuteja with Levitating, after his film Photocopier (2021) screened at the New Currents section in 2021. Sotoyama Bunji will return to Busan with Life Redo List after Soirée (2019) screened at BIFF 2020. Additionally, Leg produced by CHANEL X BIFF Asian Film Academy alumni Aigerim Satybaldy and directed by Shokir Kholikov from Uzbekistan, who garnered much attention for his debut feature Sunday (2023), adds to the notable returns. Other Asian Film Academy and CHANEL X BIFF Asian Film Academy alumni featured this year include Rabbit Hole’s  Ilango Ram and Making a Sea’s Lin Htet Aung.

This year’s selection strikes a balance between emerging voices and established filmmakers. Noteworthy entries include Nothing Happened, the debut feature of Chan Tze-woon, whose documentary Blue Island (2022) has recently been acclaimed at Hot Docs Festival; Hum, directed by Don Josephus Raphael Eblahan, an independent Filipino filmmaker whose lens often focuses on indigenous and post-colonial narratives; and The Camford Experiment, a coming-of-age piece with a Korean American protagonist, directed by Malaysian filmmaker Woo Ming Jin. India’s strong presence is marked by four projects: 7 to 7, Mangal – The Holy Beast, The Murder of Crows, and The Testimony.

Korean directors have made a significant impact with seven projects spanning various genres, from action noir and fantasy to black comedy and road movie. The selected projects are: A Way to Étretat by Shin Suwon, Door-Frame by Jeong Beom, The Birds by Sohn Hyun-lok, Hellfire Club by Shin Aga, Ulaanbaatar by Kang Donghun, Strange Marriage by Jung Wonhee, and DO BYE Nursing Hospital by Oh Seyeon.

Year by year, APM’s selected projects draw great attention from investment and co-production partners and have a strong track record of success at international film festivals, including Sundance, Berlin, Cannes, and Venice. This year’s APM selection will be presented at the 19th Asian Contents & Film Market, which will take place from Oct 5 (Sat) to Oct 8 (Tues) at the Busan Exhibition and Convention Center (BEXCO). The 29th Busan International Film Festival will take place from Oct 2 (Wed) to Oct 11 (Fri) for ten days at Busan Cinema Center and its surrounding areas.