Kim Jong-kwan's 'The Table: Day and Night' Opens BIFF 2026
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- "The Table: Day and Night", directed by Kim Jong-kwan, has been selected as the opening film of the 31st Busan International Film Festival, marking its world premiere.
- The film follows four couples navigating different stages of love inside the same cafe over summer and autumn, featuring an ensemble cast of Kim Minha, Joo Jong-hyuk, Han Sun-hwa, Chang Ryul, Shim Eun-kyung, Lee Hee-jun, Jeon So-young, and Kim Dong-hwi.
- Kim Jong-kwan previously earned the Fipresci Prize at Moscow International Film Festival for "Worst Woman" (2016) and contributed to Netflix omnibus series "Persona" (2019), "Vestige" (2022), and "The Killers" (2024).
- "The Table: Day and Night" revisits the four-stories-one-space structure Kim first used in "The Table," which screened in Korean Cinema Today – Panorama at BIFF in 2016.
- BIFF's statement called the film a "provisional culmination" of Kim's cinematic interests, praising its low-key, conversational approach over dramatic turns.
- Kim is simultaneously preparing the local release of "Frosted Window" alongside the Busan premiere.
- The 31st BIFF runs Oct. 6-15, with the 21st Asian Contents & Film Market running Oct. 10-13.
Why it matters: BIFF's selection signals the festival's continued bet on Korean auteurs with established festival pedigrees: Kim's Moscow Fipresci win and prior Netflix omnibus credits make "The Table: Day and Night" a prestige anchor for the festival's 31st edition, while his concurrent "Frosted Window" release positions him as a double-feature draw for Korean distributors this season.
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