Director July Jung's new film "Dora" has been officially invited to the Gala Presentation section of the 31st Busan International Film Festival (BIFF).
The Busan International Film Festival will run from Tuesday, October 6 to Thursday, October 15 around the Busan Cinema Center area, marking "Dora"s domestic premiere and first meeting with Korean audiences.
"Dora" tells the story of a family that leaves Seoul for a midsummer seaside villa, where Dora, suffering from an unidentifiable illness, experiences love for the first time, causing everything to slowly begin to shake. Former singer-turned-actor Kim Do-yeon and Japanese actor Sakura Ando star in the film.
Having made its world premiere in the Directors' Fortnight at the 79th Cannes Film Festival, "Dora" is now set to greet domestic and Asian audiences for the first time in Busan.
The BIFF Gala Presentation is a flagship invitation section of the Busan International Film Festival that introduces new works by master directors who have gained attention at major global film festivals to domestic audiences for the first time. In recent editions, new works by leading Asian auteurs, such as Hirokazu Kore-eda's "Monster" (2023, 28th edition) and Lee Sang-il's "National Treasure" (2025, 30th edition), met domestic audiences for the first time through this section.
Director July Jung's ties with the Busan International Film Festival date back to her debut days. In 2007, her first short film, "In the Name of the Son," received the Sonje Award at the 12th Busan International Film Festival, and in 2014, her first feature film, "A Girl at My Door," was invited to the "Korean Cinema Today - Panorama" section. She subsequently visited Busan in 2022 with her second feature, "Next Sohee," and with her latest film, "Dora," three consecutive feature films have now been invited to the Busan International Film Festival.
"Dora"s schedule in Busan kicks off with an outdoor stage greeting at the Busan Cinema Center Roof Theater at 11:00 AM on Thursday, October 8. A press screening will be held at CGV Centum City at 7:00 PM on the same day, followed by a Gala Presentation press conference at the Busan Cinema Center BIFF Hill on the morning of Friday, October 9.
The first public screening will take place at 12:10 PM on Friday, October 9 at the Busan Cinema Center Haneul Yeon劇場, accompanied by a stage greeting. After a barrier-free screening on Monday, October 12 and another screening on Tuesday, October 13, a GV (Guest Visit) session attended by Director July Jung is scheduled for 6:30 PM on Wednesday, October 14 at the Busan Cinema Center Medium Theater.
"Dora" is scheduled for theatrical release in South Korea in 2027 following the Busan International Film Festival.
(Photo: Yonhap News) (Written by Kim Ji-hye, SBS Entertainment News)
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