Top Korean actors and Asian stars including Hong Kong’s legendary Tony Leung are set to attend the Busan International Film Festival, which opened with a red carpet event and will run until October 14.

South Korea has cemented its status as a global cultural powerhouse in recent years, thanks in part to the explosive success of the Oscar-winning film “Parasite” and the Netflix series “Squid Game”.

But due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Busan festival was reduced to a fraction of its usual scale in 2020, while last year’s edition took place with a number of social distancing measures.

BIFF in 2020

But the festival is back with no restrictions for 2022, with high-profile guests such as Japan’s famed filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda flying in to discuss their latest projects.

“We feel fortunate to be able to play the role of Asia’s best film festival again,” festival director Huh Moon-young told reporters last month.

The festival will feature 243 movies from 71 countries, including 89 that will have their world premiere.

Hosts South Korea are well-represented, with K-pop megastar and actress IU joining Kore-eda to discuss their film “Broker” — which was featured at the Cannes film festival earlier this year.

The festival opened with Iranian filmmaker Hadi Mohaghegh’s “Scent of Wind”, which tells the story of a father and a son — both of whom have disabilities — living in a remote village.

According to france24