Busan Film Fest Kicks off with Outdoor Opening Ceremony

This year's Busan International Film Festival starts its 10-day run on Wednesday evening.

The opening ceremony will start with a screening of director Im Sang-soo's "Heaven: To the Land of Happiness." The movie depicts a road trip by a prison inmate who escapes from jail after being given only three months to live and a poor man suffering from a hard-to-treat illness. They stumble upon a huge amount of money and embark on a journey together.

Actor Song Joong-ki and actress Park So-dam will co-host the opening ceremony. Stars including Cho Jin-woong, Choi Min-sik, Han Ye-ri and Yoo Ah-in and directors including Bong Joon-ho and Park Chan-wook will make appearances during the festival.

A total of 223 films from 70 countries are to be screened this year, slightly fewer than in previous years.

The festival features a number of award-winning films at renowned international film festivals including "Titane" by Julia Ducournau, which won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, and Paolo Sorrentino's "The Hand of God," which received the Grand Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, seating in theaters will be limited to half of capacity. However, the opening and closing ceremonies with filmmakers and glittering stars from home and abroad attending in person, as well as some other outdoor events, will be held in cooperation with local health authorities to ensure safety.

The festival runs through Oct. 15.