Welcome to BIFAN+ Newsletter Issue 5! This edition brings you the announcement of 2026 NAFF Project Market selections and the reveal of the Beyond Reality theme. BIFAN+ Badge registration is now open — don't miss the deadline!

🏆 New Works from Global Genre Masters Who Captivated Sundance and Cannes

The official selection of the NAFF 2026 Project Market has been announced — 27 projects from 24 countries!

This year's lineup features an exceptional roster of new works from global genre filmmakers who have proven their craft at Cannes and Sundance. Among the selections is Incarnation (¡ãtop left, It Project selection), produced by Director Anthony Chen, whose debut feature Ilo Ilo won the Caméra d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 2013. Also included is HOLI WOMB (¡ãtop right, Sitges FanPitch selection), the latest project from Montreal-based director Anouk Whissell, whose previous works Turbo Kid (2015) and Summer of '84 (2018) captivated audiences at Sundance. Rounding out the highlights is What The Darkness Keeps by Italian director Jimmy Henderson, who directed Cambodia's first action blockbuster and received praise from The Hollywood Reporter as "a bone-crunching breakthrough for Cambodian cinema" — further cementing NAFF's reputation as a global genre project market.

🎬 Grown with BIFAN, Back at NAFF 

Over the past year, no fewer than 9 projects developed through NAFF have been completed as finished works. Three of them are set to screen as Official Selections at the 30th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival — including Huh Gun's Last Mankind, which drew global attention with its entry into the Cannes Film Market, alongside FORTE by director Kimbo Kim and Zsazsa Zaturnnah vs The Amazonistas of Planet X by director Avid Liongoren — a testament to the strength of the genre films BIFAN has nurtured. This year also brought a wave of familiar faces, with projects selected from director Raj KRISHNA from India, director Sidharta Tata from Indonesia, and Korean director Choi Lida — a meaningful reminder that the filmmakers who grew alongside BIFAN keep coming back to NAFF.

🤝 NAFF Doubles Down on Korean Genre Cinema

For the second consecutive year, NAFF has designated Korea as its 'Project Spotlight' country, offering focused support for Korean genre films. Riding the momentum of box office hits like Exorcism Chronicles: The Beginning, Salmokji: Whispering Water, and Hope, NAFF aims to discover the next wave of Korean genre projects and connect them to markets around the world.