Busan’s Asian Project Market (APM) has unveiled the 30 feature projects selected for its 2026 edition.
APM set a new all-time submissions record for the third consecutive year, receiving 604 entries from 48 countries. That marked an increase of 149 submissions year-on-year, following 455 submissions from 44 countries in 2025, 441 from 44 countries in 2024 and 399 from 50 countries in 2023. Submissions from Asia reached 423, up 82 from the previous year, while Korean submissions rose to 137, up 58.
From that pool, 30 projects representing 20 countries were selected. The lineup spans courtroom drama, coming-of-age story, family drama, crime thriller, queer romantic comedy, black comedy and mystery thriller, with the selected works touching on social realities, personal identity, family relationships and ethical tensions within communities. The slate mixes feature debuts from emerging filmmakers with new projects from directors already recognized on the festival circuit.
Three Japanese projects made the cut: “13” from Mori Tatsuya, who claimed BIFF’s New Currents prize in 2023 for “September 1923”; “Wings of Return (working title)” from Hirose Nanako; and “Yours” from Igarashi Kohei.
Central and South Asian filmmakers also feature prominently. Kyrgyzstan’s Dastan Zhapar Ryskeldi joins APM for a third time with “Bosogo,” while Sri Lanka’s Prasanna Vithanage presents “Islands,” following “Paradise,” which took the Jiseok prize at BIFF in 2023. India’s Dominic Sangma brings “Veil of Dust,” examining tragic contradictions within a community, and Tribeny Rai returns with her second project, “A Chronicle of Minor Things” (working title). Rounding out the region are Payal Sethi’s “Babak,” Stenzin Tankyong’s feature debut “Idiot (Kakthet)” and Pakistani director Eshah Shakeel’s feature debut “Dancers.”
