The Asian Cinema Fund has announced the 12 projects selected for its 2026 edition, supporting filmmakers across Asia through script development, post-production assistance and documentary production funding.
Operated by the Asian Contents & Film Market, the official industry platform of the Busan International Film Festival, the Asian Cinema Fund provides assistance tailored to different stages of production. Selected projects also gain opportunities to connect with producers, investors, distributors and festival representatives through BIFF and ACFM.
The 2026 edition received 798 submissions. These included 495 applications for the Script Development Fund, 16 for the Post-Production Fund and 287 for the Asian Network of Documentary Fund. Three script development projects, two post-production projects and seven documentaries were ultimately selected.
Representing seven primary production countries, including five international co-productions, the projects explore identity, migration, historical memory, family relationships, care, conflict and coexistence.
Script Development Fund
The Script Development Fund supports independent Asian feature projects in their planning and development stages. Each selected project will receive KRW 10 million and participate in the 2026 Asian Project Market, where its representatives will meet potential co-producers, investors and other industry professionals.
The Asian Project selections are “Babak”, directed by Payal Sethi, and “Bon Voyage”, directed by Mehrnoush Alia.
“Babak”, a Germany and India co-production, follows an Afghan refugee living in Germany and explores survival, identity, responsibility and care.
The Iran and USA co-production “Bon Voyage” focuses on parents who have lost their daughter in tragic circumstances, examining grief, personal responsibility and the obligations people have toward others.
“Goldfish”, directed by Aditya Ahmad, was selected through the AFA and BAFA Project category. Set against the culture and traditions of Sulawesi, Indonesia, the story follows a 13-year-old boy who hopes to develop a closer relationship with his father while searching for his own identity.
Ahmad is a graduate of the 2014 Asian Film Academy.
Post-Production Fund
The Post-Production Fund assists Korean independent feature projects that have completed principal photography and editing.
Selected productions receive professional assistance with digital intermediate colour grading, sound mixing, English subtitle spotting and DCP production. Each project also receives KRW 3 million for additional post-production expenses.
The two selected projects are “Not for You”, directed by Shin Dongmin, and “Some Detective”, directed by Kim Miyoung.
“Not for You” centres on a person grieving after losing someone to suicide. The project adopts an intimate cinematic form intended to reflect the personal and emotionally sensitive world it depicts.
“Some Detective” follows an aspiring detective novelist whose unexpected encounters outside the fictional world of her writing gradually force her to confront her inner self.
Both projects are expected to be completed through the support of Korean post-production companies and have their world premieres at the 2026 Busan International Film Festival.
Asian Network of Documentary Fund
The Asian Network of Documentary Fund supports independent feature-length documentary projects intended for theatrical release. Each selected production will receive up to KRW 20 million.
Project representatives will also be invited to ACFM 2026. Depending on their production stage, they may be eligible to participate in the Documentary WIP Showcase at Doc Square, where works in progress are introduced to producers, distributors and festival professionals.
The Asian Project selections are “Floating House”, directed by Liu Shubo; “Tongues of Fire”, directed by Alyx Ayn Arumpac; and “We Are Volcanoes”, directed by Sharon Yeung and Natalie Chao.
The Chinese project “Floating House” documents the experiences of a diaspora community attempting to find its place in the world.
The Philippine production “Tongues of Fire” follows a rare national reckoning in a country caught between denial and accountability, while “We Are Volcanoes”, a UK and Norway co-production, documents women searching for justice.
The Korean Project category includes “The Alleyway”, directed by Emmanuel Moonchil Park; “Our Waves”, directed by Jang Minkyung; “Pellong Pellong: The Untold Glitter of That Day”, directed by Jude Hwirin Kang; and “When Words Return”, directed by Jung Sueun.
These projects address subjects including conflict surrounding the construction of a mosque, care within families affected by mental illness, memories of the Jeju 4.3 events and the history of forced mobilisation and war.
Their filmmakers employ techniques including animation, archival footage, reenactments and 8mm photography to bring previously overlooked personal and community histories to the screen.
Supporting Projects from Development to Presentation
The Asian Cinema Fund connects project discovery and development with completion, presentation and international industry exchange.
Script Development Fund recipients will participate in meetings at the Asian Project Market, while the Post-Production Fund selections will receive technical support before premiering at BIFF. Documentary projects will be introduced to industry representatives through Doc Square and other ACFM programmes.
The 21st Asian Contents & Film Market will take place from October 10 to 13, 2026, at Exhibition Center 2 of BEXCO in Busan. The 31st Busan International Film Festival will be held from October 6 to 15.
