Who Will Open and Close the 2025 Busan International Film Festival? Do you know who’s set to open the 2025 Busan International Film Festival? And who will take the stage for its grand finale? Did you hear that BIFF is introducing a brand-new “Busan Awards” category this year?
The 30th Busan International Film Festival has officially announced its opening and closing ceremony hosts — two of the biggest names in Korean cinema. Lee Byung Hun will be the solo host of the opening ceremony, while Soo Hyun will bring her star power to the closing ceremony. This year’s festival will run from September 17 to September 26, 2025, featuring more than 240 films and debuting a new competitive award category.
A Glimpse Into the 30th Busan International Film Festival
The 30th edition of BIFF will take place from September 17 to September 26, 2025, at the Busan Cinema Center.
The biggest highlight of this year’s festival is the launch of the “Busan Awards”, a competitive category introduced for the very first time. This new award segment aims to recognize the finest talent in world cinema and marks BIFF’s bold step toward becoming a truly global competitive film festival.
Lee Byung Hun: Making History as BIFF’s First Solo Male Opening Host
Korean cinema legend Lee Byung Hun is set to open this year’s Busan International Film Festival in style. For the first time in BIFF’s history, a solo male host will lead the opening ceremony — a milestone moment for the event.
Over his celebrated career, Lee Byung Hun has starred in countless global hits and Korean blockbusters, including G.I. Joe: Retaliation, Masquerade, Mr. Sunshine, and Inside Men.
With Park Chan-wook’s highly anticipated No Other Choice opening the festival, led by the commanding presence of Lee Byung Hun, BIFF 2025 promises to begin its cinematic journey with star prestige..
Soo Hyun: Grace, Global Fame, and the Grand BIFF Finale
The internationally famed actress Soo Hyun will surely grace the stage of the closing ceremony with charisma and elegance. In the capacity of solo host, she will also present for the first time the “Busan Awards”, opening a fresh competitive dimension in the festival.
The trajectory of Soo Hyun is an abode of confluence between Korean and international cinema. In Hollywood, with her roles in Avengers: Age of Ultron, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, The Dark Tower, etc., she has really mesmerized the audiences, while in Korea, she has hence become a household name through numerous dramas and films of eminent acclaim.
She had great standout roles in Never a Hero and Netflix’s Gyeongseong Creatures in 2024. In the same year, she also won the Award for Best Supporting Actress at the 61st Baeksang Arts Awards for An Ordinary Family, and she successfully established herself as an actress with a wide spectrum and powerful presence.
Why BIFF 2025’s Solo Hosting Choice is a Game-Changer
This year, BIFF is doing something new — for the first time, BIFF has selected different solo hosts for the opening and closing ceremonies.
The combination of Byung Hun’s overwhelming presence on the opening night, and Soo Hyun’s global accessibility at the closing night, will give festival goers a unified and true cinematic experience from beginning to end of the festival.
The festival has implemented a new hosting format for BIFF to diversify its presentation, recognizing global representation.
Festival Highlights: A Cinematic Feast at BIFF 2025
The 30th Busan International Film Festival is going to be a big party for film lovers. This year’s festival will provide more than 240 films from Korea and around the world with an exciting variety of films, genres, cultures and ways of telling stories.
Included in this lineup will be special screenings, world premieres and an expanded variety of competitive categories, including the new Busan Awards. With this expansion, BIFF has established itself a space in the world of film that is authentic and meaningful, as it will be celebrated by both established filmmakers and emerging film talent on the same stage.
Conclusion: A Star-Studded Path to Global Cinema
The perfect recipe for this year’s truly global edition of the festival: Lee and Byung Hun pretended to the hosts of BIFF 2025. An unforgettable cinematic experience awaits viewers: Lee’s commanding presence opening the festival, followed by a closing with Soo Hyun whose appeal stretches well beyond South Korea.
Clearly, 2025 BIFF is aiming for international recognition and cinematic excellence; the diverse films, competitive awards, star power, and all should be enough to leave an impression everywhere beyond Asia.
