The 30th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival is using its anniversary edition to turn AI cinema into a more structured industry ecosystem. Running from July 2 to 12 across Bucheon City, BIFAN is moving from AI to AX, or AI Transformation, with initiatives that connect creation, training, employment, distribution and revenue opportunities for AI filmmakers.
Rather than presenting AI films only as a festival showcase, BIFAN is building a wider framework around them. The festival has expanded its Bucheon Choice: AI Films competition and, through a partnership with Hong Kong-based Tamar Edge Limited, operator of the AI video platform TapNow, has introduced the TapNow New Wave Award for projects exploring new cinematic language.
From AI Experiments to Industry Strategy
The industrial side of the strategy includes two new competitions. With VFX studio The Manta Story, whose credits are connected to Train to Busan and Netflix’s Hellbound, BIFAN will run a year-round AI Short-form Film & Drama Screenplay Competition. The goal is to discover stories and creators that can move toward investment, production and distribution.
BIFAN is also launching an AI Film Distribution Support Competition for completed works. Selected short and feature-length AI films from Korea and abroad are expected to receive theatrical distribution support in the second half of the year, with screenings planned through major multiplexes including CGV, Lotte Cinema and Megabox via Studio The J.
Distribution, Revenue and New Talent
Revenue and career development are also part of the plan. Bucheon-based Studio AIM, which is developing a specialized AI video content platform, will support creators discovered through BIFAN and sponsor the AIMMOVIE Audience Award. The festival is also expanding internship opportunities for graduates of the Bucheon AI Video Education Center, with The Manta Story and Studio AIM joining an initiative that began in 2025 with Studio Freewillow.
On June 23, BIFAN signed cooperation agreements with local academic institutions, including Yuhan University, to develop field-oriented training courses for future creators with both technical and directing skills. The festival plans to extend this work through the Bucheon AI Contents Summit, project pitching events, demo days and creator meetups.
Festival Director Shin Chul said BIFAN has established a foundation that brings together talent development, employment links, project calls and distribution pipelines. He also stressed that the festival wants AI creators to move beyond one-time prize money and build independent careers as directors or producers, while keeping attention on the protection of creators’ rights.
For the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival, the 30th edition is more than an anniversary celebration. It is a statement about the future of genre cinema and a clear attempt to position the festival as a key platform for AI filmmaking as it moves from experimentation toward industrial application.
