[BIFF Press Release] 2026 Busan Story Market Unveils 25 Official Selections
2026. 08. 04 09:05
Press Release |2026.08.04
2026 Busan Story Market Unveils
25 Official Selections, Bringing Together Original IPs from Four Asian Countries
Original IPs across Asia pair universal emotions with fresh genre imagination
Indonesian IPs discovered through collaboration with JAFF IP Connection; one Korean IP to be invited to the program
The Busan Story Market (BSM), held as part of the Asian Contents & Film Market (ACFM)—the official market of the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF)—has revealed its 25 official selections for 2026. The lineup comprises 15 IPs from Korea, four each from Taiwan and Japan, and two from Indonesia.
This year’s lineup spans a broad range of genres and narratives, from works that explore universal emotions and relationships—including life and death, family, growth, love, and loss—through fresh genre settings to stories driven by secrets and obsessions that unfold in unexpected ways.
Where Stories Find New Expression, Busan Story Market
BSM is a marketplace for film and audiovisual adaptations of original IP, ranging from books to webtoons, web novels, video games, stories, and more. It connects film and audiovisual industry professionals from around the world with content platforms and IP holders. Official selections are presented through pitching sessions and one-on-one business meetings to explore opportunities for secondary rights deals and collaboration.
Korean IP: Universal Appeal, Genre Diversity, and Adaptation Potential
BSM received 138 submissions from 83 companies for the Korean IP selection this year. A total of 15 titles from 13 companies were selected: nine books, two webtoons, two web novels, and two stories. Books account for more than half of the lineup, while the selections remain broadly balanced across formats and genres.
The Korean selections pair popular genres such as romance, mystery, fantasy, and human drama with distinctive concepts involving parallel worlds, out-of-body experiences, and science fiction. Through distinctive characters and fresh subject matter, the works explore a wide range of themes, including life and death, communication across generations, family and community, individuals and the times they live in, growth, and adventure. From emotionally nuanced human dramas to AI-themed fantasy, genre-blending historical romance, period dramas, and hybrid genres, the lineup shows strong potential for screen adaptation.
Taiwanese IP: Inventive High Concepts with Universal Appeal
BSM continues to conduct its annual selection for the Taiwanese IP lineup in partnership with the Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA). A total of four titles from four companies were selected, featuring one each across books, webtoons, web novels, and comics. Each is built around an inventive high concept that conveys the work’s identity in a single line.
Rather than serving as spectacle alone, fantasy settings are used to explore universal emotions such as loss, guilt, first love, familial love, and growth. By pairing fresh premises with universal emotions, the Taiwanese selections demonstrate their potential for adaptation across films, drama series, and other content formats.
Japanese IP: Narrative Pull Shaped by Secrets and Obsessions
A total of four Japanese IPs from four companies—one book and three comics—have been selected through the Visual Industry Promotion Organization (VIPO).
The selections stand out for their multilayered portrayals of characters and relationships, with secrets and obsessions at the center. As characters uncover and confront hidden truths, or as seemingly unlikely individuals cross boundaries to form bonds, changes in their relationships take the stories in unexpected directions. By tightly weaving together the revelation of secrets and shifts in relationships, the Japanese selections demonstrate the narrative pull of character-driven stories, even as events take unpredictable turns.
Indonesian IP: Discovered Through JAFF IP Connection
This year’s Indonesian lineup comprises two comics from two companies. The two works were selected from 10 Indonesian original IPs introduced at the 2025 JAFF Content Market, a program of the Jogja-NETPAC Asian Film Festival Market (JAFF Market), following pitching sessions and business meetings focused on film and audiovisual adaptation. Named winners of the “JAFF Content Market Award Goes to ACFM 2026,” the two works will join BSM 2026 as official selections.
In 2026, JAFF Content Market evolved into JAFF IP Connection. One of the Korean IPs selected for BSM will also be invited to JAFF IP Connection following meetings with JAFF Market representatives. The program will take place in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, from November 28 to 30, 2026. With Indonesian IPs joining BSM and a Korean IP set to participate in JAFF IP Connection, the exchange of original IP between BSM and JAFF Market will continue in both directions.
BSM 2026 will take place from October 10 to 13 during ACFM 2026 at Exhibition Center 2, BEXCO in Busan. Through BSM Pitch & Match and business meetings, the 25 official selections will connect with industry professionals to explore a wide range of IP expansion and audiovisual adaptation opportunities.
The Asian Contents & Film Market (ACFM) is the official market of the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) and is held in Busan every October. At its 20th edition in 2025, 1,222 companies and 3,024 industry professionals from 55 countries registered and total on-site attendance reached 30,006, marking the largest edition in ACFM’s history. The Sales Market recorded 8,438 Business Meetings, with an estimated transaction value of approximately USD 71.16 million.
The 2026 Asian Contents & Film Market will be held from October 10 to 13 at Exhibition Center 2, BEXCO in Busan.
▶31st Busan International Film Festival: Oct 6 (Tue) – Oct 15 (Thu)
▶21st Asian Contents & Film Market: Oct 10 (Sat) – Oct 13 (Tue)
