The 31st edition of the Busan International film festival unfolded in South Korea with a record-breaking crowd, drawing over 200,000 spectators to its screenings and ancillary events. Since its inception, Busan has become a launchpad for Asian cinema, and this year it introduced a competition structure mirroring Europe’s most prestigious festivals, allowing its top honors to carry extra industry weight.
Iranian auteur Majid Majidi entered the festival with Midday Meal a starkly humanist drama set in the barren outskirts of southeastern Iran. Known for his focus on children and marginalised families, Majidi continues his legacy of socially engaged storytelling, a thread that began with the Oscar-nominated Children of Heaven in 1997.
Midday Meal clinches Busan’s top honor and gains automatic Oscar eligibility
The seven-member jury, chaired by Chinese cinema legend Zhang Yimou, announced a unanimous decision: Midday Meal secured the Best Film award. The film follows contract teacher Davoud Soulan, portrayed by Mohammad Rahimi, as he battles the loss of a benefactor-funded free-lunch program that keeps his impoverished pupils in school. Soulan’s desperation leads him into illicit fuel smuggling, setting up a moral clash between personal ambition and communal responsibility. Critics praised the movie’s parable-like narrative and its evocative use of Iran’s “Martian Mountains” landscape.
Under the Academy’s new rule, the Busan Best Film winner now receives automatic Oscar eligibility for the best international feature category, bypassing the need for a national selection committee. Iran has already submitted Babak Khajehpasha’s Land of Angels, but Majidi’s triumph creates an alternate pathway that could see the film contend for the 99th Academy Awards without further bureaucratic hurdles.
Majidi’s acceptance speech denounces U.S. strikes and honors Iran’s resilience
When Majidi stepped onto the stage at the Busan Cinema Center, he devoted his gratitude to the Iranian people, describing them as “brave heroes” who endure oppression. He then turned the podium into a platform for political protest, recalling the February bombing of a school in Minab that claimed the lives of 120 children and 36 other civilians. Majidi condemned the U.S. war on Iran, labeling the civilian death toll a crime and asserting that the Iranian populace will “stand firm until the end.”
His closing remarks invoked a universal yearning for peace: “I wish for a world where there is no more war, full of peace, love and brotherhood.” The speech resonated with festival audiences, highlighting how cinema can serve as both artistic expression and diplomatic outreach.
Other competition highlights and the festival’s expanding influence
The main competition also honoured Indonesian director Eddie Cahyono with the Special Jury Prize for Ibuku a drama about a widow coping with her daughter’s imprisonment abroad. Taiwanese filmmaker Lee Yun Chan received the Best Director award for To Be Ordinary praised for its “handsome sobriety” and empathetic treatment of family trauma. Acting accolades were split between Chinese star Zhou Xun for The First Taste of Loneliness and Japanese newcomer Kashun Himeno for Satoko Always both delivering performances that anchored their respective films’ emotional cores.
In the New Currents section, Indian director Shashank Walia won for Birds in the Dark a black-and-white exploration of caste and land disputes in rural Punjab, while South Korean debutant Lim Hayeon earned a special mention for the lyrical romance Beach Fictions. The breadth of awards underscores Busan’s growing role as a decisive arena for Asian filmmakers seeking global recognition.
