BUCHEON — The Bucheon Research Institute held its inaugural "Bucheon Future Policy Forum 2026" on September 29 at the Bucheon Art Center Small Concert Hall to celebrate its opening. Under the theme "How Should Film Festival Support Policies Change After the Lumière Declaration?", the forum discussed sustainable development for international film festivals and the improvement direction of national support policies.

This forum was organized to examine the national, industrial, and regional functions performed by domestic international film festivals—including the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN), which marks its 30th anniversary this year—and to explore stable, national-level support systems befitting their stature.

In the keynote presentation, film journalist Lee Sun-pil emphasized that international film festivals serve as a vital foundation for discovering works and creators, connecting with the film industry, and facilitating international exchanges. To improve the current single-year, contest-driven support system, he proposed introducing multi-year support schemes, expanding total funding, and redefining international film festival support as an independent policy domain rather than a sub-project of "film distribution support."

During the panel discussion moderated by Dankook University Professor Kim Sun-ah, experts from the film industry, academia, and policy sectors offered diverse insights for the sustainable development of international film festivals:

Shin Chul, Festival Director of BIFAN, emphasized the establishment of legal and institutional grounds for support and a multi-year support system.
Min Sung-wook, former Festival Director of the Jeonju International Film Festival, stressed the need to build a predictable support framework.
Noh Chul-hwan, Professor at Inha University, highlighted the industrial, talent cultivation, and international exchange functions of film festivals.
Tae Eun-jung, Head of the Business Division at the Korean Film Council (KOFIC), underscored strengthening South Korea's overseas film advancement and industrial linkage functions.
Lee Yong-kwan, Director of the Hallyu Economy Research Center at the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute, suggested expanding film festivals into industrial and exchange platforms while strengthening ties with contents and tourism.
Kim Sang-tae, Research Fellow at the Bucheon Research Institute, suggested "expanding BIFAN's 30-year accumulated assets into Bucheon's urban spaces, local commercial districts, and year-round visits." Specifically, he proposed linking festival IPs to urban spaces and local businesses, alongside utilizing accumulated records for digital archives and AI-based services.
Kim Jong-seok, President of the Bucheon Research Institute, stated, "For the sustainable development of international film festivals, policy support that reflects diverse functions is essential—including building a stable support system and regional industrial development strategies utilizing film and cultural content IPs." He added, "Based on the discussions from this forum, we will continue to research international film festival support policies and strategies for BIFAN's advancement."

Building on the opinions presented at the forum, the Bucheon Research Institute plans to formulate institutional improvement measures to establish national roles and sustainable support systems for international film festivals, which will then be proposed to Bucheon City and the central government. Meanwhile, the institute intends to continue policy research on linking and expanding festival achievements into regional industrial development, focusing on measures to connect BIFAN with urban spaces and industries.

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