The 30th Busan International Film Festival will present a programme highlighting European films directed by female filmmakers in partnership with European Film Promotion (EFP), it has announced.
Europe! Voices of Women+ in Film will showcase 16 films in total, with highlights including Romería by Carla Simón and Silent Friend by Ildikó Enyedi.
Speaking of the programme, Seo Seunghee, BIFF programmer in charge of European selections, said: “We are truly delighted and grateful to collaborate with EFP on the Voices of Women+ in Film programme at the Busan International Film Festival.
“This year, more European filmmakers, actors, and producers than ever before–including the renowned master Marco Bellocchio–are joining us in Busan.
“In particular, we are deeply honoured to witness the significantly increased participation of European women filmmakers, each bringing their own unique voice and vision.”
The BFF will welcome revered European filmmakers including Laura Samani, Laura Wandel, Margherita Spampinato, Valentine Cadic, Jacqueline Zünd, Julia Kowalski, Ildikó Enyedi and Sepideh Farsi.
A special Talk-to-Talk session, Cut! Then Action: Stories from Rising Women Filmmakers, will provide a platform for exchanging perspectives on cinema artistry between European and Asian directors.
Featuring Laura Samani, Valentine Cadic, Jacqueline Zünd and Julia Kowalski, the event will take place on 20 September at 12pm at the BIFF Outdoor Stage.
“We are excited to see our initiative presented in this format for the first time in Busan. We want to spark a conversation between European and Asian filmmakers and the festival’s audiences on this important topic in close collaboration with the festival team,” explained EFP’s managing director Sonja Heinen.
“The selected European films touch on profoundly human experiences–ranging from personal and collective trauma to coming-of-age subjects, concerns about the future, and the burden of memory–while showcasing striking artistic visions from across Europe.”
Under the Icons section, which introduces contemporary masters’ new releases, there will be the following films: Romería by Carla Simón, former winner of the Golden Bear Prize in Berlin; Silent Friend, directed by acclaimed Hungarian filmmaker Ildikó Enyedi; Alpha by Julia Ducournau, who earned the Palme d’Or in Cannes in 2021; and Franz, a new work by garnered director Agnieszka Holland.
Reflecting this year’s cinematic trends, the World Cinema section unfolds a wide range of European filmmakers’ works, such as Don’t Let the Sun by Jacqueline Zünd and The Little Sister by Hafsia Herzi.
In Flash Forward, which sheds light on first or second features by emerging talents outside Asia who are crafting an inventive cinematic universe, are A Year of School by Laura Samani, invited to the Orizzonti section in Venice, and Her Will Be Done by Julia Kowalski, following its screening at Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight.
And in Wide Angle, which broadens the cinematic horizon by showcasing distinctive short films and documentaries offering fresh perspectives, is Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk by Sepideh Farsi, which received a strong response at ACID Cannes 2025.
The full Busan International Film Festival programme, running from 17 to 26 September, is available now.
