21st Asian Contents & Film Market to Open on the 10th, Introducing Country of Honor System and More

[Financial News] The Asian Contents & Film Market (ACFM), the official market of the Busan International Film Festival, will be held at BEXCO Exhibition Center 2 in Busan from the 10th through the 13th.
According to the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) secretariat on the 9th, the 2026 ACFM is expected to attract participants from a total of 58 countries, including more than 1,200 participating companies and around 3,000 industry professionals.


Around the world, the film and content industries are simultaneously facing an economic downturn, weakened investment, the spread of generative artificial intelligence (AI), and changes in the platform landscape. In response, this year's ACFM will broaden the scope of its new initiatives while strengthening the expertise and business connections of its existing programs.
The most notable change is the introduction of a Country of Honor system for the first time this year. Thailand has been selected as the first Country of Honor. The initiative will spotlight this year's featured country in several ways, including setting up a pavilion dedicated to Thailand at the heart of the sales market and presenting five Thai feature films with strong remake potential at the Busan Story Market.
Producer Hub has also selected Japan as its “Country of the Year” and invited 10 Japanese producers to take part in project pitches, presentations sharing co-production case studies, and business meetings. The event will also expand opportunities for producers to exchange information on production environments, support policies, and projects on an ongoing basis through programs co-hosted with Japan's Visual Industry Promotion Organization (VIPO) and a morning networking event being introduced for the first time this year.
Launched last year, ACFM's strategic brand program, “The A,” consists of an industry analysis report, “The A Report,” and a conference, “The A Summit.” At The A Summit, “AFAN Spotlight” will return for a second year to discuss changes in the Asian film distribution landscape and ways to foster regional cooperation. “The A Summit: Investor Summit & Connect,” debuting this year, will share domestic and international investment trends and capital flows, and explore the potential for establishing co-production funds and forming strategic partnerships.
A total of 339 exhibitors have registered for this year's sales market, up 17% from last year and including four online booths. Officially selected projects for the Asian Project Market will be presented at two showcases on the 10th, with meetings with investment, co-production, and distribution professionals taking place during the event. The Busan Story Market will host “Pitch & Match,” presenting original Korean IP and Thai remake IP, while officially selected works will explore their screen adaptation potential through meetings with industry professionals from Korea and abroad.
InnoAsia will also present new intersections between AI, new technologies, and storytelling, exploring an industry ecosystem in which film and technology evolve together. International tech companies, creators, and innovative startups will examine how generative AI is changing production environments and share AI-based video projects currently in production, along with examples of technology applications. Doc Square will present 16 Asian documentary projects in production and foster industry connections with film festivals, funding institutions, and distribution professionals.
[email protected] Byeon Ok-hwan Reporter