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A Summer Movie Picnic: The 21st Busan International Kids & Youth Film Festival Opens on July 8

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Busan Metropolitan City announced that the 21st Busan International Kids & Youth Film Festival (BIKY) will be held from July 8 to July 14 across the Haeundae area and western Busan, celebrating visual culture created for and with children and young people.

Held over seven days under the slogan "Kids, Let's Go on a Picnic!", the festival will serve as a summer cultural celebration where children, youth, and families can watch films together, share stories, and enjoy hands-on experiences through cinema.

This year, the festival expands its major screening and event venues beyond Haeundae to western Busan, allowing more residents to enjoy the festival closer to home.

The festival will present 179 films from 41 countries that highlight the creativity and growth of children and young people while celebrating family and shared experiences. The program consists of Competition, Invitation, and Special Screening sections, offering a diverse selection for children, youth, and family audiences alike.

The Competition section features 75 films, including "Ready~Action!" for children's and youth-created short films, "New Starlight" for the Korean Short Film Competition, and "Starlight of the Heart" for the International Feature Film Competition.

The Invitation section presents 44 domestic and international films for children, youth, and families, featuring stories of adventure, personal growth, and diverse lives, together with outdoor screenings.

The opening ceremony will take place on July 8 at 5:30 p.m. at the Haneul Theater of the Busan Cinema Center. Broadcaster Oh Sang-jin and actor Seo Soo-bin will serve as hosts, while gayageum performer Kim Hye-jin and AIKI with HOOK will present celebratory performances.

The opening film, Goodbye Sisters, directed by Alexander Murphy, follows two sisters from Kathmandu, Nepal, who journey into the high Himalayas to earn money for overseas study, portraying themes of separation, growth, and overcoming emotional scars.

The closing ceremony and awards presentation will be held at 2:00 p.m. on July 14 at the Ensemble Theater of Nakdong Art Center. The program will feature screenings of works produced through the "AI JAM" workshop, awards for the competition sections, and the graduation ceremony for BIKies, bringing the festival to a close.

This year's festival also introduces new and expanded programs designed to deepen audience engagement, including "BIKY JOB Encyclopedia," "In Focus," a Youth AI Cinema Special Section, AI filmmaking workshops, and a Netherlands Special Section.

The newly introduced "BIKY JOB Encyclopedia" will be held from July 9 to 13 at the Medium Theater of the Busan Cinema Center and the BIKY Lounge. Six distinguished figures from various fields, including AIKI, Chung Jae-seung, and Park Jung-min, will share their careers and life experiences with young audiences.

The "In Focus" section will present a retrospective of director Yoon Ga-eun, known for films such as The World of Us and Our House. It will also feature classic Korean children's films from the 1990s personally selected by the director and rediscovered in collaboration with the Korean Film Archive.

The Smilegate Future Lab Youth AI Cinema Special Section and the "AI JAM" program will allow participants to explore new approaches to filmmaking and creative expression in the age of artificial intelligence through both film screenings and hands-on production workshops. The completed workshop projects will be showcased during the closing ceremony.

The festival's signature outdoor venue, the BIKY Playground, will operate from July 9 to 12 at Dureraum Plaza of the Busan Cinema Center in keeping with this year's picnic theme.

The venue will feature the food zone "That's the Taste!", an art playground presented by the Hyundai Museum of Kids' Books & Art (MOKA), and a performance stage. Experience programs and performances will be open to all visitors free of additional admission charges.

Additional programs include the outdoor screening series "Moonlight Theater," the academic event "BIKY Open Talk," "Anxious Concert in BIKY," and the "BIKY Mini Playground" at Lotte Cinema Busan Myeongji.

Detailed screening schedules and ticket reservation information for the 21st Busan International Kids & Youth Film Festival are available on the festival's official website at www.biky.or.kr. For further information, please contact the Busan International Kids & Youth Film Festival Secretariat at +82-51-995-7610.

Chun Jae-soo, Mayor of Busan Metropolitan City, said, "The Busan International Kids & Youth Film Festival is a meaningful cultural platform where children and young people grow beyond being audiences to become creators and active participants in artistic expression. I hope this summer's movie picnic in Busan provides children, young people, and families with unforgettable moments filled with imagination and joy."