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Busan International Film Festival — New Currents Award Winners & Films

Busan · held each September–October

The "Cannes of Asia" and the continent's most influential festival. Each autumn, Busan premieres the new wave of Asian cinema — its New Currents competition and Asian Project Market have launched a generation of first-time directors onto the world stage.

23 titles across 10 editions in our catalogue. Editions run newest first; within each edition, verified festival winners lead, followed by Celluloid Score. Browse South Korea cinema on South Korea. Related honours: Asian Film Awards.

Visual lookbook: Busan premiere poster lookbook

Quick Answer: What are the best Busan films?

Busan International Film Festival is held in Busan, South Korea each September–October. Its top prize is the New Currents Award. Celluloid ranks 23 films across 10 editions by four-input Celluloid Score, with award winners first. The highest-rated Busan film on Celluloid is All We Imagine as Light (2024) at 87%. Latest edition in the catalogue: Busan 2025. 20 verified festival prize winners are called out on this page.

New Currents Award and other prize winners: Burning (Defining Moments of Asian Cinema, 2025) , No Other Choice (Opening Film, 2025) , Oldboy (Defining Moments of Asian Cinema, 2025) , Left-Handed Girl (Competition, 2025) , All We Imagine as Light (A Window on Asian Cinema, 2024) , How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies (A Window on Asian Cinema, 2024) , Caught by the Tides (Gala Presentation, 2024) , Happyend (Special Program, 2024) , Viet and Nam (A Window on Asian Cinema, 2024) , Girls Will Be Girls (Special Program, 2024) , Santosh (A Window on Asian Cinema, 2024) , Hunger (A Window on Asian Cinema, 2023) , The Medium (A Window on Asian Cinema, 2021) , Better Days (A Window on Asian Cinema, 2019) , Bad Genius (A Window on Asian Cinema, 2017) , Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts (A Window on Asian Cinema, 2017) , The Handmaiden (Korean Cinema Today, 2016) , Train to Busan (Korean Cinema Today, 2016) , The Host (Korean Cinema Today, 2006) , Memories of Murder (Korean Cinema Today, 2003)

Highest-rated Busan movies on Celluloid

All-time quality view — four-input Celluloid Score, not jury order. For the circuit explainer see festival prizes decoded and Asia’s biggest film festivals.

  1. All We Imagine as Light 2024 · 87%
  2. The Handmaiden 2016 · 87%
  3. Memories of Murder 2003 · 87%
  4. Burning 2018 · 85%
  5. No Other Choice 2025 · 85%
  6. How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies 2024 · 84%

Busan 2025 films and winners · 4 films

Busan 2024 films and winners · 8 films

Busan 2023 films and winners · 1 film

Busan 2021 films and winners · 1 film

Busan 2019 films and winners · 1 film

Busan 2017 films and winners · 2 films

Busan 2016 films and winners · 2 films

Busan 2008 films and winners · 1 film

Busan 2006 films and winners · 1 film

Busan 2003 films and winners · 2 films

Frequently asked questions

What is the Busan International Film Festival?

The "Cannes of Asia" and the continent's most influential festival. Each autumn, Busan premieres the new wave of Asian cinema — its New Currents competition and Asian Project Market have launched a generation of first-time directors onto the world stage. It is held in Busan each September–October.

What is the New Currents Award?

The New Currents Award is the top prize of the Busan International Film Festival in Busan. Celluloid lists Busan films with verified prizes on this hub, ranked by four-input Celluloid Score rather than jury politics.

Which films won awards at the Busan International Film Festival?

Award winners from Busan in the Celluloid catalogue include Burning (Defining Moments of Asian Cinema, 2025), No Other Choice (Opening Film, 2025), Oldboy (Defining Moments of Asian Cinema, 2025), Left-Handed Girl (Competition, 2025), All We Imagine as Light (A Window on Asian Cinema, 2024), How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies (A Window on Asian Cinema, 2024), Caught by the Tides (Gala Presentation, 2024), Happyend (Special Program, 2024), Viet and Nam (A Window on Asian Cinema, 2024), Girls Will Be Girls (Special Program, 2024), Santosh (A Window on Asian Cinema, 2024), Hunger (A Window on Asian Cinema, 2023), The Medium (A Window on Asian Cinema, 2021), Better Days (A Window on Asian Cinema, 2019), Bad Genius (A Window on Asian Cinema, 2017), Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts (A Window on Asian Cinema, 2017), The Handmaiden (Korean Cinema Today, 2016), Train to Busan (Korean Cinema Today, 2016), The Host (Korean Cinema Today, 2006), Memories of Murder (Korean Cinema Today, 2003).

Who won at Busan 2025?

Busan 2025 prize winners in the Celluloid catalogue: Burning (Defining Moments of Asian Cinema), No Other Choice (Opening Film), Oldboy (Defining Moments of Asian Cinema), Left-Handed Girl (Competition).

What is the highest-rated Busan film on Celluloid?

All We Imagine as Light (2024) leads our Busan selection with a 87% Celluloid Score, averaged from four possible rating inputs.

How does Celluloid rank Busan movies?

Busan International Film Festival pages group films by edition year (newest first). Inside each edition, verified festival winners lead, then four-input Celluloid Score (editorial, Metascore, Letterboxd, IMDb — audience separate). This is catalogue order, not an official festival ranking.