BUSAN, South Korea — Two-time Oscar-winning director Alfonso Cuarón is heading to South Korea for the first time, with the acclaimed filmmaker set to headline the 31st Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) in October.
Cuarón, the director behind Gravity and Roma, will attend BIFF’s opening ceremony, lead a masterclass and participate in a special audience session following an IMAX screening of Gravity.
The festival runs from Oct. 6 to 15, 2026, with screenings and events taking place across Busan.
Cuarón Comes to Busan for a Major Festival Appearance
BIFF said Cuarón will make his first appearance in Korea during the festival’s opening events.
The Mexican filmmaker is expected to discuss the creative decisions and filmmaking techniques that have shaped his career, including his approach to cinematography, editing and directing performances.
His masterclass will give festival audiences an opportunity to hear directly from a filmmaker whose work has moved between intimate dramas, major studio productions and ambitious science-fiction films.
The festival will also screen Gravity in IMAX, followed by a special talk with Cuarón.
The 2013 space thriller earned him the Academy Award for Best Director, his first Oscar in the directing category. He won the same award again for Roma in 2019.
From Harry Potter to Roma
Cuarón’s career stretches across dramatically different genres.
He gained international recognition with Y Tu Mamá También, which won the Best Screenplay award at the 2001 Venice Film Festival. He later directed Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Children of Men, Gravity and Roma.
Roma, his deeply personal black-and-white drama, won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival before earning three Academy Awards, including Best Director for Cuarón.
His work is particularly known for elaborate long takes, immersive camerawork and visual storytelling that places audiences close to the characters.
A Father-and-Son Cinema Moment
Cuarón will not be the only member of his family attending BIFF.
His son, filmmaker Jonás Cuarón, will also be in Busan for the Asian premiere of his latest film, Campeón Gabacho, in the festival’s World Cinema section.
The younger Cuarón previously co-wrote Gravity with his father and has established his own directing career with films including Desierto and Chupa.
Campeón Gabacho stars Juan Daniel García Treviño, Leslie Grace, Rubén Blades, Eddie Marsan, Rosario Dawson and Cheech Marin. Alfonso Cuarón is also among the film’s producers through Esperanto Filmoj.
Jonás Cuarón will participate in a post-screening Q&A following the film’s Asian premiere.
Busan Positions Itself as a Global Film Hub
The arrival of the Cuaróns comes as BIFF enters its fourth decade and continues to expand its international profile.
The 2026 festival will also host the 21st Asian Contents & Film Market from Oct. 10 to 13, bringing filmmakers, producers and other industry professionals together alongside the main festival.
The festival has increasingly positioned itself as a meeting point between Asian cinema and the wider international film industry.
Cuarón’s appearance adds another major international filmmaking voice to this year’s program while giving Korean audiences their first opportunity to meet the Oscar-winning director at a domestic film event.
Why Cuarón’s Visit Matters
For movie fans, the attraction goes beyond seeing a Hollywood filmmaker on the red carpet.
Cuarón’s planned masterclass and Gravity IMAX session offer audiences a rare opportunity to hear the director explain the filmmaking choices behind one of modern cinema’s most technically ambitious productions.
At the same festival, Jonás Cuarón’s new film will introduce another generation of the filmmaking family to Korean audiences.
With Alfonso and Jonás Cuarón appearing at the same festival, BIFF is set to offer a unique father-and-son perspective on contemporary filmmaking.
The 31st Busan International Film Festival will take place across Busan from Oct. 6 through Oct. 15, with the Busan Cinema Center serving as a key venue.
