So I was back at BIFAN for what was my 7th year and it was amazing as usual. I’m writing this post-mortem, after a few days back at work, somewhat recovered. But…generally I don’t recover from my BIFAN experiences for quite a while afterwards. They’re too extraordinary.

Seeing all the people I am so grateful to know in the global film community and having the rare and beautiful chance to reconnect and chat about film, the state of the industry and random nonsense over great food and drinks until far too late at night/early in the morning.

Then there’s the added bonus of meeting NEW people and learning about new projects and films being made and pitched which is also so inspiring! As an academic and career film fan, I am someone who is (likely) the intended audience for these works. Therefore, it always gives me hope when I sit down for dinner with people at BIFAN from a host of countries and cities (some I’ve been to, some I’ve never even heard of!) and get a chance to experience the passion, enthusiasm and creativity that is alive and well in the genre film world. This year was no different.

It’s not easy out there. I had a lot of conversations during the festival with people who I would call genuine film warriors. Money is tight (if there at all), offers for purchase and distribution are unfair (understatement) and it’s just rough. But these people are working their asses off to keep genre film not simply alive but growing and thriving. This makes me incredibly happy and grateful.

I’m still mulling over all the films that I saw in my head and those write-ups are coming! But what I wanted to do first was just get a feel for my experience written out. And…what was my experience? As usual, I loved it. For 10 days I was so happy, relaxed and at ease. I was immersed in cinema and cinema people. Of so many different kinds…restorations, Korean cinema, women-made films, extreme horror, queer media…it’s just a joy to exist there for that brief moment of my summer.

Honestly, when I’m at home here in Seoul, it can get a little hard and lonely. The cinema spaces are very different and the community is not the same. BIFAN gives me this glorious gift every year. Great conversations, great films, great theaters to watch movies in…and I never take it for granted.

This year was also super cool as they had a tent full of swag from past BIFANs so I got some super cool stuff that I will be rocking for ages! A great Nightmare on Elm Street-themed bag and tee. Sooooo into it!!!

This piece is just a basic initial update to be effusive about how much I enjoyed myself and say that I’m still alive after 10 days of insane living with my beautiful brilliant friends in Bucheon that I see annually.

Sooooooo….watch this space for subsequent discussions of really interesting work such as the 4K Restorations of Train to Busan (Yeon Sang-ho, 2016) and Save the Green Planet (Jang Joon-Hwan, 2003), as well as a Bollywood restoration, a 70s Korean horror restoration, a Korean woman-directed thriller, and a GENUINE queer banger homage to 90s erotic thrillers called Body Blow (Dean Francis, 2025) amongst others!

Thanks BIFAN for the opportunity to get to do this yet again!