Korean Film Council Selects 16 Mid-Budget Films for 20 Billion Won Support

Including New Works by Byun Youngjoo and Nam Donghyeop

Seoul movie theater scene. Photo by Yonhap News

The Korean Film Council has selected 16 mid-budget films to support as part of its efforts to improve the shrinking investment and production environment for Korean cinema.

On April 8, the council announced the selection of 16 projects for its “2026 Mid-Budget Korean Film Production Support Program.” This initiative targets feature-length live-action films with a net production cost between 2 billion won and less than 10 billion won. This year, 16 films were selected, an increase of 7 from last year’s 9, and the support budget has also doubled year-on-year to reach 20 billion won.

The open call attracted a total of 334 submissions, marking a competition rate about three times higher than last year’s 120 entries. The council will divide the films into three categories—A, B, and C—according to their net production budgets, providing support of 800 million to 2.3 billion won per film.

This year, 10 out of the total selected projects—over 60 percent—are works by new directors. New talent with fresh ideas have joined in large numbers, including director Kim Jinhwa of “My First Graduation,” director Kim Sohyun of “AlphaGo,” and director Yeom Jeongwon of “Terry K.” Notably, director Nam Donghyeop, who gained attention with “Handsome Guys,” has cast Song Kangho, Koo Kyohwan, and Song Seungheon in his new film “The Gardeners.”

Among established directors, Lee Seokhun of “The Pirates: The Last Royal Treasure” presents “Heoggaebi,” while Min Yonggeun, director of “Soulmate,” will showcase the women’s drama “Two Piece.” Also included are “Your Target” by director Byun Youngjoo, based on a webtoon, and “The King of Sleep,” a period film by director Ha Kiho. In the international co-production category, “Bound (Blood Ties)” by Australian director Eddy Bell was selected, which is expected to be the first-ever joint film production between Korea and Australia.

Jury chair Lee Sangmoo, a film producer, stated, “The Korean film industry is currently suffering a harsh winter due to declining audiences and a decrease in investment recovery rates. This support program is a helping hand that will serve as a spark of hope, allowing filmmakers to continue pursuing their dreams.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.