BISFF 2026 — Beyond Cinema
3D cinema, artificial intelligence, XR, and interactive storytelling
BISFF, Busan International Short Film Festival, stereoscopic cinema, artificial intelligence, XR, interactive cinema
Festival overview
The 43rd Busan International Short Film Festival (BISFF) took place from 23 to 28 April 2026 at the Busan Cinema Center and the BNK Busan Bank Art Cinema Corner Theater. Under the theme Cinéma & Lumière, the festival presented 148 films, including 69 competition films and 80 invited works.
| Dates | 23–28 April 2026 |
| Theme | Cinéma & Lumière |
| Primary venue | Busan Cinema Center |
| Programme | 148 films |
| Festival edition | 43rd |
Alongside its competition, national, regional, and guest-country programmes, BISFF presented Beyond: four sections exploring forms of cinema that extend past the conventional flat screen.
Beyond
3D Cinema
The 3D Cinema programme explores stereoscopic depth as both a storytelling tool and a way of changing perception. Its selection moves beyond commercial blockbuster 3D to include animation, documentary, experimental work, video art, and films engaging with cinema history.
France was the festival’s 2026 Guest Country, and several works connected the programme to French cinema and history. Being Godard & de Beauregard revisits a creative partnership associated with the Nouvelle Vague; Hsu-ji Behind the Screen follows a young girl finding comfort in early cinema; and Poulo Condor addresses France’s colonial legacy in Asia.
The programme was curated by BISFF programmer Alaric Hamacher, with most films receiving their first Korean presentation.
Films
- Oppression — Didier Paradis
- Poulo Condor — Yannick Violin
- Hsu-ji Behind the Screen — Thomas Rio
- Death of a Lonely Atheist — Martin Hans Schmitt
- Stahlstichsymphonie — Christian Zschammer
- Being Godard & de Beauregard — Hind R. Boukli
- Double Vision — Kwon Hyewon
- Cinema Genesis — Kim Changho
Artefact AI Film Festival Focus
This special focus presented 13 films from the Artefact AI Film Festival, a joint project between data-and-AI company Artefact and French art-house cinema group mk2.
The programme examines what happens when rapidly developing AI technologies meet human creativity. It includes established and emerging filmmakers using AI tools to test new visual languages, production processes, and forms of imagination.
Films
- The Cinema That Never Was — Mark Wachholz
- ROPED — COKAU
- Hard Dayzzz — Max De Donato
- Arrow — Jiaze Li
- The Shadows Weaver — Anne Horel
- field notes — arielko
- Lifelong Odyssey — Alix André-Kellershohn
- Rules of Play — Jacob Adler
- 6000 LIES — Simon Rieth
- Life After You Dyed!!! — Raphaël Frydman
- Jamais Nansa Souvenirs — Ella Bedia
- e^(i·π) + 1 = 0 — Junie Lau
- A DREAM — Evgenia Shabunina
XR: Immersive Experiences
The XR section shifts the audience from watching at a distance to entering and navigating a work through sight, sound, movement, and physical presence.
The experiences ran from 24 to 27 April, 11:00–20:00, in the BISFF Lounge on the sixth floor of the Busan Cinema Center. Participation required an on-site reservation, and visitors selected an available work before using a Meta Quest headset with staff guidance.
Experiences
- Let it Begin — Jung Seongwook and Kim Baekjun
- A Long Goodbye — Kate Voet and Victor Maes
- Into the Manhole — Abhishek Verma and Jayesh Pillai
- Kaleidoscope — Yu Gihoon
Extended headset use may cause discomfort such as dizziness or headaches. Visitors should follow the operating and safety instructions provided at the venue.
Interactive Cinema
Interactive Cinema invites the audience to participate in shaping a story. Choices and interactions can change how an individual viewing unfolds, moving the viewer from outside the screen into the narrative itself.
The section ran from 24 to 27 April, 11:00–20:00, in the BISFF Lounge on the sixth floor of the Busan Cinema Center.
The programme presented Les glaneurs de carton by Sakina Douiou and Xuan Minh Tran.
Sources
- BISFF 2026 overview
- BISFF 2026 programme
- Official Beyond programme pages linked in each section above
Information checked on 25 July 2026.