Filmmaker Nandita Das to serve as Busan Film Festival jury member

Nandita Das, an acclaimed actor-filmmaker has been selected from India as part of the seven-member competition jury at the 30th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF). This appointment was announced on Wednesday which placed her one of the celebrated names in the world cinema with others.

Nandita Das brings Indian Representation to Busan International film festival jury

The jury will be chaired by Korean filmmaker Na Hong-Jin, best known for globally acclaimed films such as The Chaser (2008), The Yellow Sea (2010), and The Wailing (2016). Nandita is widely known for her masterful craft in Fire (1996), Earth (1998), and Bawandar (2000). She later transitioned into direction and received critical acclaim for Firaaq (2008), followed by Manto (2018) and Zwigato (2022). She has also served on juries at several leading international film festivals like Cannes.

On the jury table she will be joined by Hong Kong actor Tony Leung Ka-fai, known for Reign Behind a Curtain (1983), Farewell China (1990), Center Stage (1992), Dragon Inn (1992), The Lover (1992), Cold War (2012), and The Shadow’s Edge (2005). Also on the panel is Iranian filmmaker Marziyeh Meshkiny, a pioneering voice of the Iranian New Wave and Makhmalbaf Film School alumna who is recognized for The Day I Became a Woman (2000) and Stray Dogs (2004).

Korean-American filmmaker Kogonada, director of Columbus (2017) and After Yang (2021) has also joined the line-up. His latest feature A Big Bold Beautiful Journey, starring Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell, will release in the U.S. on September 19 before arriving in Korea in October. Indonesian producer Yulia Evina Bhara, who has backed titles such as The Science of Fictions (2019) and The Fox King (2024) will add a Southeast Asian voice to the panel. Korean actor Han Hyo-joo, known for Brilliant Legacy (2009), Cold Eyes (2013), and the series Moving (2023) completes this diverse group of jury.

For 2025, BIFF has also introduced a section of 'Busan Awards' where the winners will be announced at the closing ceremony.

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