Bucheon Film Festival unveils first-ever competition for AI-generated films
South Korea's Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BiFan) has launched an AI Film competition featuring 15 titles. The competition is part of the festival's exploration into the role of artificial intelligence in filmmaking. The selected films will compete for jury-selected and audience awards, with cash prizes reaching up to KRW 1.5M ($11K). BiFan festival director Shin Chul expressed his hope that creators struggling with production costs would gain creative freedom through AI.
Selection process and diversity in AI film competition
The festival selectors chose the competition lineup from 114 submitted films, focusing on "narrative, artistry, originality and the use of AI technology in text (screenplay), audio, and video." The selected works showcase a variety of styles ranging from feature films to video art. Chul highlighted that these works confirm "the potential and possibilities that AI technology can bring to young creators" who face production challenges due to limited budgets and resources.
International participation and South Korean entries in competition
The 15 selected titles for the competition hail from France, the US, Japan, Singapore, and South Korea. Among them is Kwon von Hansl's One More Pumpkin, a previous Grand Prize and Audience Award winner at the Dubai AI Film Festival. Other South Korean entries include Park Sung-won's Under the Sign of the Moon, Bae Jun-won's Snowfall, and Cha Seh-wan's Final Scene. The festival commended these works for their image and sound perfection achieved through modern AI technology.
BiFan Plus AI conference and workshops announced
In addition to the competition, BiFan will host the inaugural edition of the BiFan Plus AI Conference from July 5 to 7. The conference will feature leading international experts in AI film production discussing the impact of AI technology on film content production. The festival, scheduled to run from July 4 to 14 in Bucheon City, will also offer AI workshops and mentoring sessions for attendees.
