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Opening on June 18: “2026 Korea International Ocean Film Festival” to Bring Stories of the Sea to the Big Screen

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Busan Metropolitan City, led by Mayor Park Heong-joon, announced that the 2026 Korea International Ocean Film Festival will be held for four days from June 18 to 21 at the Busan Cinema Center in Haeundae.

Now in its ninth year, the Korea International Ocean Film Festival is the nation’s only film festival dedicated exclusively to the ocean, focusing on themes such as the relationship between humanity and the sea, the marine environment, ecology, and coexistence. The festival is jointly hosted by Busan Metropolitan City and the Korea Ocean Business Corporation and organized by the Korea International Ocean Film Festival Organizing Committee.

The festival showcases outstanding ocean-themed films from around the world, providing audiences with valuable opportunities to experience works that are not easily accessible through conventional channels.

Busan Metropolitan City aims to expand the festival beyond a film-screening event into a sustainable marine tourism content platform with independent vitality, further strengthening Busan’s position as a hub of marine cultural exchange and a global marine tourism city.

Under this year’s theme, “Standing Before the Sea,” the festival will screen 47 feature-length and short ocean films from 15 countries.

The opening films on June 18 are All Eyes on Antarctica, a documentary by British directors Catherine Frances and Cambell Brewer that explores why events unfolding in Antarctica affect ecosystems, economies, and local communities across the globe, and Antarctica – Domain One, a documentary by Joaquin Azule and Julian Azule that confronts the realities of the Antarctic marine ecosystem threatened by commercial overfishing.

The closing film on June 21 is A Life Illuminated, directed by Tasha Van Zandt and Sebastian Zeck. Following marine biologist Dr. Edith Widder as she explores the deep-sea “Twilight Zone,” the documentary offers a remarkable journey that broadens understanding of marine life while vividly illustrating both the wonder and fragility of Earth’s ocean ecosystems.

Featured films include 13 Hours to Survive – Trapped at Low Tide, a gripping survival drama following marine creatures stranded in a tidal pool during the brief 13 hours after low tide begins; ChaO, a romantic fantasy animation portraying a world where humans and mermaids coexist and gradually come to understand and love one another; and Mission Sea Otter – Saving California’s Kelp Forests, which highlights the importance of marine ecosystems through the story of sea otters emerging as unexpected heroes in the effort to restore underwater kelp forests. These and many other films celebrating adventure, imagination, and coexistence in the world of the sea await audiences.

This year’s festival will also introduce a new Artificial Intelligence (AI) Ocean Film section. In addition to three films selected through the AI Ocean Environment Film Competition, including Journey with Mother, the section will feature eight invited works such as Dream of Atlantis, presenting a total of eleven AI-generated ocean films.

The festival will further enhance audience engagement through Guest Visit (GV) programs following screenings, where directors, critics, and other film professionals meet with audiences, as well as lectures and talk shows featuring marine experts discussing current challenges facing the world’s oceans. Photo zones and event booths will also be available throughout the festival.

In particular, this year’s “Water Enthusiasts Club” special section will offer a community-oriented program where participants who love ocean swimming and water activities can watch four swimming-themed films together and share their experiences.

In addition, from noon to 6:00 p.m. on June 20, the sixth-floor lounge of the Busan Cinema Center will host Bada Marché, a local-brand market themed around the sea, along with marine-environment experience booths and photo zones. These activities are designed to help citizens engage with marine culture in a more approachable and enjoyable way.

Tickets for festival screenings can be reserved through the Busan Cinema Center website at www.dureraum.org, and on-site ticket purchases will also be available during the festival period.

Admission for all screenings is KRW 5,000. Additional information can be found on the official festival website at kioff.kr and on Instagram at @kioff.official.

Na Yoon-bin, Director General of the Tourism and MICE Bureau of Busan Metropolitan City, said, “The Korea International Ocean Film Festival is a special opportunity to showcase the value of our beautiful seas and to help more people discover the appeal of the ocean through the medium of film. We will continue to actively utilize marine tourism content so that Busan can establish itself as a marine tourism city that people want to visit throughout all four seasons.”