BIFF 2026 cancellations: a cancelled event is not the same as cancelling your ticket
New Epoch Journal editorial graphic. A visual guide to official information, not an event photograph.

At the Busan International Film Festival, a cancellation can mean three different things: the organiser cancelling a programme, a customer cancelling a booking, or a seat becoming available after someone else returns it. Each calls for a different check.

The 31st festival runs from 6 to 15 October. Its official change notice lists the Actors’ House event with Lee Minho, previously scheduled for 7 October, as cancelled. Check that notice alongside older programme pages before changing your plans.

If the organiser cancels

BIFF’s booking guide allows fee-free cancellation and refunds when a screening is changed or cancelled for festival reasons. That general rule does not establish whether a particular event will be refunded automatically or on what date. Read the event notice and your booking instructions first.

The official change notice confirms the Lee Minho cancellation. Speculation about its cause does not establish how a booking will be handled.

If you cancel your own booking

Standard ticket cancellations close 60 minutes before the screening. There is no fee at least six days before the screening date. At five to three days, the fee is KRW 1,000 per ticket; from two days before until the deadline, it is KRW 3,000. Opening and closing ceremony fees are KRW 3,000 and KRW 9,000 respectively.

Same-day booking cancellations are exempt in the five-to-three-day window, but not in the final two-day window. Printed tickets must be returned at a box office. Bookings with separate conditions, such as group bookings, follow their own rules.

Can you buy a sold-out screening at the venue?

Only if seats are available. The official FAQ permits festival-period box-office sales of unsold or returned seats. The official material reviewed did not specify a fixed release time for returned tickets.

Our planning suggestion is to check official availability and alternative screenings before travelling, rather than rely on a promised release hour. This does not guarantee a seat.

Two final checks before entry

Bring the actual mobile or paper ticket: screenshots and booking notifications are not accepted for admission. Entry is restricted after the first 15 minutes of a screening, so allow time to move between venues.

Before leaving, check programme changes and open your ticket. Finding a seat is only part of the plan; the session must still be going ahead, and you must be ready to enter.

Sources & context

Based on official festival material checked on 2 October 2026. Live seat availability and individual event refund outcomes were not verified. Travel and alternative-session suggestions are editorial advice.

AI assisted with drafting and editing. This article is part of our preview edition. Editorial standards & corrections →