The Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), Asia's largest film festival, has decided to postpone its original schedule by two weeks and hold the event on a significantly reduced scale this year.

Details will be released through an online press conference on the 14th.

The Busan International Film Festival was scheduled to be held from October 7th for 16 days at venues such as the Busan Cinema Center in Haeundae and Nampodong, but it has been decided to postpone it by two weeks due to the spread of novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

The film festival will be held from October 21st to 30th.

The scale has also been reduced, focusing on film screenings, and only films will be shown at the Busan Cinema Center.

The Busan International Film Festival confirmed these details through a general meeting on the 11th.

The decision to postpone the Busan International Film Festival by two weeks was made due to "concerns about the spread of COVID-19 immediately after the Chuseok holiday (October 1st-4th), and it was an unavoidable change for safer festival operations.".

The Busan International Film Festival, celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, has explored various measures to hold the festival normally under the current circumstances, but ultimately it will be held with restrictions such as a reduced scale.

Along with this, most events that attract audiences, such as the opening and closing ceremonies, the red carpet, and stage greetings and open talks held at the Haeundae outdoor stage and the plaza in front of the Busan Cinema Center, will not be held.

Furthermore, overseas film industry professionals will not be invited.

The Asia Contents & Film Market, Asia Project Market, and BIFF Forum will be held online.

The Busan International Film Festival stated, "If social distancing level 2 continues or is upgraded, the festival may be canceled.".

These are English translations of articles from our GTTOUR Japanese website.