The Asian Cinema Fund (ACF), the film production support program operated through the Busan International Film Festival‘s industry market, has named 12 projects as its 2026 recipients, selected from 798 total submissions across three funding streams.
The 12 selections – three for script development, two for post-production and seven for documentary production – represent seven countries, with five of the projects structured as international co-productions. The ACF, which operates under the Asian Contents & Film Market (ACFM), supports projects at different stages of production, from early development through post-production finish.
The Script Development Fund, which drew 495 submissions, selected three projects: “Babak,” directed by Payal Sethi, a Germany-India co-production following an Afghan refugee in Germany; “Bon Voyage,” directed by Mehrnoush Alia, an Iran-U.S. co-production centered on parents confronting grief and responsibility after the loss of a daughter; and “Goldfish,” directed by Aditya Ahmad, set against the traditions of Sulawesi, Indonesia, in which a 13-year-old boy navigates his relationship with his father. Ahmad is a 2014 graduate of BIFF’s Asian Film Academy. Each selected project receives a cash grant of KRW10 million ($6,480) and a place in the Asian Project Market (APM) 2026, where they will meet with producers and investors.
