Busan Film Market Launches Doc Square 2026 and Names Yim Siwan as Closing Host
The Busan International Film Festival's market will host Doc Square 2026 from Oct. 10-13, featuring a documentary WIP showcase and new Impact Asia prizes, while actor Yim Siwan will host the festival's closing ceremony.
From Oct. 10 to 13, the Asian Contents & Film Market will run Doc Square 2026, uniting eight partner organizations from Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Indonesia and the Philippines to showcase sixteen works-in-progress documentaries. The centerpiece, a Documentary WIP Showcase, runs alongside the Asian Network of Documentary Fund and adds new partners Newstapa Foundation and Japan’s J-Docs Hub. Two new prizes debut: the Impact Asia Award, awarding $5,000 each to three projects, and the Newstapa Award, offering KRW10 million and a 60-minute streaming slot.
Doc Square will also host Asia’s inaugural Impact Day, releasing an 80-page report on documentary effects in society based on studies from Korea, Taiwan and Japan. In addition, actor Yim Siwan has been appointed the sole host of the 31st Busan International Film Festival’s closing ceremony, where the Busan Awards will be presented.
Why it matters
The event spotlights emerging Asian documentary talent and highlights a high-profile celebrity leading a major film festival ceremony.
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