KBS Independent Film Award to select one winner from 12 BIFF Vision nominees with 10 million won prize

31st Busan International Film Festival>

2026 31st Busan International Film Festival, KBS Independent Film Award selection planned and judges confirmed

- One winner to be selected from the independent film competition [Vision]... KBS Independent Film Award, 3 judges confirmed - Lee Ji-won of 'Miss Baek' · Shin Yeon-shick of 'Dongju: The Portrait of a Poet' · Critic Nam Da-eun... 31st BIFF KBS Independent Film Award judging - 12 films in the 'KBS Independent Film Award' competition category revealed... 10 million won prize winner to be announced on October 14

Aiming to support Korean independent films and discover talented new directors

The ‘KBS Independent Film Award’, established by KBS in cooperation with the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) to support Korean independent films, will once again set out to discover talented new directors at this year's 31st Busan International Film Festival.

The 'KBS Independent Film Award' at the 31st Busan International Film Festival, held from Tuesday, October 6 to Thursday, October 15, will select a winner from 12 Korean low-budget/independent films invited to the competition section, ‘Vision’. The winning work will be awarded a prize of 10 million won, and the award ceremony is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, October 14, during the 'Vision Night' event, the day before the closing ceremony.

The Busan International Film Festival 'Vision' section is a representative competition section that highlights noteworthy new works from various Asian countries and introduces new possibilities for independent films. This year, the 'KBS Independent Film Award' will appoint three experts actively working in various fields of the film industry as judges to select one final winner from the nominees.

Three KBS Independent Film Award judges confirmed (Nam Da-eun, Shin Yeon-shick, Lee Ji-won)

The ‘KBS Independent Film Award’ judges have been appointed: film critic and author Nam Da-eun, director Shin Yeon-shick, and director Lee Ji-won.

Critic Nam Da-eun began her critical activities after receiving the Cine21 Film Critics Award in 2004 and currently serializes 'Critic Nam Da-eun's Recorder' in 'Cine21'. Her books include ‘A Time of Emotions and Desires: Living Cinema’ (2015) and ‘Memories of Murder: Eyes That Never Closed’ (2025), and she co-authored ‘Becoming Bong Joon-ho: The Textbooks and Mentors Who Shaped Him’ (2025) with Busan International Film Festival Executive Director Jung Han-seok.

Director Shin Yeon-shick was recognized for his meticulous and restrained directing with 'Fair Love' (2010) and has won multiple screenplay awards through 'Dongju: The Portrait of a Poet' (2016), which he participated in as a screenwriter and producer. Since then, he has been building an original cinematic world through films and dramas such as 'The Avian Kind' (2014), 'Romans 8:37' (2017), 'Cassiopeia' (2022), 'Cobweb' (2023), 'Uncle Samsik' (2024), and 'Victory' (2025).

Director Lee Ji-won made a strong impression with her feature debut 'Miss Baek' (2018), winning the Best New Director award at the 55th Baeksang Arts Awards and the Director of the Year award at the 19th Director's Cut Awards. Through the drama 'Climax' (2026), for which she handled both screenplay and directing, and the new film 'Portrait of a Family' (2026), she deeply explores the desires of human groups, intricate relationships, and narratives of salvation.

The ‘KBS Independent Film Award’, which has previously selected works that received acclaim from audiences and critics such as 'Maggie', 'Lucky Chan-sil', and 'House of the Seasons', is expected to serve as an opportunity to introduce the new possibilities of Korean independent films to domestic and international audiences again this year.

Meanwhile, the winning work of the 'KBS Independent Film Award' is scheduled to meet home audiences through ‘KBS Independent Film Theater’ after its theatrical release (broadcasting rights contracts are conducted separately from the award), and last year's 30th winner, 'Journey There' (directed by Kim Jin-yu, starring Kim Hye-ok and Justin H. Min), is scheduled for theatrical release on October 28. 'Journey There' is gaining recognition for its quality at major international film festivals, including invitations as a closing film at the 48th Moscow International Film Festival, the 25th New York Asian Film Festival, and the 17th Korean Film Festival in Australia.

As the opportunity for Korean independent films discovered through the ‘KBS Independent Film Award’ to meet audiences expands beyond Korea to the global stage, expectations for this year's winner are also rising.

31st Busan International Film Festival Schedule: From Tuesday, October 6 to Thursday, October 15, 2026. 31st Busan International Film Festival Award Ceremony Schedule: Scheduled for the evening of Wednesday, October 14, 2026.

12 Vision Nominees (*Works - Director, in alphabetical order)

- Earworm | Director: Kim Hyo-mi - Things Left at the Theater | Director: Park Geun-young - Not for You | Director: Shin Dong-min - A Certain Detective | Director: Kim Mi-young - Baylor | Director: Oh Se-hyeon - Beyond the Horizon of Love | Director: Park Song-yeol - Bird | Director: Son Hyeon-rok - Space | Director: Park Hong-min - Nothing Has Happened Yet | Director: Shin Seon - Traces of the Universe | Director: Jang Woo-jin - Full Moon | Director: Jeong Ji-hye - Hwagoksa | Director: Kim Si-jin

◆ At a Glance

· Publishing Institution: KBS

· Category: 31st Busan International Film Festival

· Distribution: October 1, 14:30

Source: KBS Press Release

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