The Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) has confirmed Jung Hanseok will be its new festival director.
His appointment was finalized after a general meeting held today at the Busan Cinema Center in Soeul, Korea following a two-stage open recruitment process.
BIFF had signalled its intentions to appoint Jung fest director earlier this month, naming him its preferred candidate. He will begin his role tomorrow and locks in a four-year term.
“Jung Hanseok is a highly qualified candidate with a deep understanding of the festival’s internal and external landscape,” said the Executive Recommendation Committee in a statement. “BIFF He possesses the capabilities necessary to take the festival to the next level.”
His appointment follows BIFF experienced a tumultuous few years for BIFF, during which four managers resigned followed by a deeply unpopular decision by then-BIFF chairman Lee Yong-kwan to appoint a close associate, Cho Jongkook, as Managing Director alongside Artistic Director Huh Moonyung.
Jung began life in the film industry in 2002 a journalist and film critic for Cine21. He has served as the Korean Cinema Programmer at BIFF since 2019, and is considered to play a key role in discovering and supporting emerging Korean filmmakers. Known domestically and internationally, he has served as a jury member for the Buil Film Awards, Jeonju International Film Festival and Seoul Independent Film Festival, as well as an advisor for the Florence Korea Film Fest and the Asian Film Awards in Hong Kong.
