Park Chan-Wook’s ‘No Other Choice’ to Open the 2025 Busan International Film Festival

Entertainment NewsFilm FestivalPremiereFilmUpcoming ReleasesInternationalNew ReleasesTrailersMovie PremiereTrending
Written By Jonathan P. Moustakas

Park Chan-wook's 'No Other Choice' Courtesy of Busan IFF / NEON

The black comedy thriller from the Cannes-winning director marks his long-awaited return to Korean screens with an A-list cast and a Venice-to-Busan festival run.

South Korean auteur Park Chan-wook is officially returning to the Busan International Film Festival in grand fashion. His latest film No Other Choice, starring Lee Byung-hun and Son Ye-jin, will serve as the Opening Night selection for BIFF’s milestone 30th edition, running September 17–26.


Fresh off its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival, No Other Choice marks Park’s first feature since his 2022 Cannes winner Decision to Leave. This time, the master of stylized genre cinema returns with a black comedy thriller adapted from Donald Westlake’s novel The Ax. The story centers on Man-su (Lee Byung-hun), a once-successful man whose life spirals after an unexpected job loss, threatening his family, his home, and his sanity. What unfolds is a darkly satirical descent into desperation, drenched in Park’s signature tension and visual flair.



Son Ye-jin plays Miri, Man-su’s wife, in her first major film role since the global phenomenon Crash Landing on You. The ensemble cast also features Park Hee-soon, Lee Sung-min, Yeom Hye-ran, and Cha Seung-won. As the festival’s centerpiece, the film brings together two of Korea’s biggest stars in a tale that questions what people are willing to sacrifice when they have “no other choice.”


POPULAR ON THE CINEMA GROUP


Adding to the significance, star Lee Byung-hun will also serve as host of BIFF’s opening ceremony, elevating the festival’s global appeal. “I am deeply moved and excited to experience the premiere of Park Chan-wook’s desired project alongside diverse audiences,” said BIFF director Jung Han-seok in an official statement. “I sincerely hope that its selection will build meaningful momentum to garner greater attention and foster renewed interest in Korean cinema.”



No Other Choice is set to be one of the most talked-about Korean films of the year, with its Venice debut positioning it for global distribution and potential awards season conversation. For now, the film’s Busan opening cements Park Chan-wook’s status as one of the defining voices of 21st-century international cinema—and reaffirms Busan’s role as Asia’s most essential film festival platform.


Watch The Trailer:


 

|   FEATURES   |    INTERVIEWS   |    REVIEWS   |   VIDEOS   |    TRENDING   |   TRAILERS   |

 
DYING over MY LOVE for these two!📸✨ Jennifer Lawrence & Robert Pattinson for @vmagazine 2025Winter Issue. 📸: @cassblackbird ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴊᴏɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ɢʀᴏᴜᴘ? ꜰᴏʟʟᴏᴡ 👉🏼 @thecinemagroup & @thecinemagroupnews
What started as a fan film has become a movement. Before a single frame was shot, ‘Spider-Man: Alone’ had already crossed three million views — proof that when a story comes from conviction, people feel it. Benett Sullivan isn&rsq
Coppola. Elordi. Cartier. That’s the post📸✨ @sofiacoppola and Jacob Elordi reunite for @cartier’s Love Unlimited — a reimagining of the iconic 1969 Love bracelet. Two years after ‘Priscilla’ the filmmaker and actor co

THE CINEMA GROUP

YOUR PREMIER SOURCE FOR THE LATEST IN FILM AND ENTERTAINMENT NEWS 

FOLLOW US FOR MORE

Trailers
Stranger Things 5 | Official Trailer | Netflix
Stranger Things 5 | Official Trailer | Netflix

Hawkins is scarred, the Rifts have opened, and our friends must reunite for one last battle against a darkness stronger than ever.

The trailer drops us into fall 1987 in Hawkins: the town is under military occupation, portals are bleeding into our world, and the gang is scattered and battered. A fully-modified Vecna looms unseen, forcing friends and foes alike into desperate alliances. With Boyd Holbrook as the tough new agent Dr. Kay, Eleven trains in hiding and Will braces for another terrifying ordeal. It’s all building toward a final showdown that demands the full party to stand together or fall apart.

I Love LA | Official Trailer | HBO Max
I Love LA | Official Trailer | HBO Max

A reunited group of Los Angeles friends chase ambition, adventure, and connection—only to discover that time changes everything but them.

After years apart, Maia (created and played by Rachel Sennott) ropes in her old friend group back to L.A., hoping to reclaim their youthful spark. But as new careers, failed relationships, and unspoken resentments surface, their reunion feels less like fun and more like survival of the friendship-of-ambition. Under the glossy LA lights, dreams collide, alliances shift—and it turns out none of them are the same people who left.

The Beast in Me | Official Trailer | Netflix
The Beast in Me | Official Trailer | Netflix

A grieving author fixes her gaze on the man next door—only to find her obsession might awaken the monster within.

Aggie Wiggs (Claire Danes) has lost her young son and her voice. When her new neighbour, Nile Jarvis (Matthew Rhys), moves in—a real-estate tycoon with a dark past—she becomes entangled in his mystery. Their twisted dance of fascination-and-fear blurs the line between hunter and prey, truth and deception. Set to premiere November 13, 2025 on Netflix, this eight-episode thriller probes grief, power, and the beast we carry inside.

Pluribus — Official Trailer | Apple TV
Pluribus — Official Trailer | Apple TV

One woman ironically resistant to overwhelming happiness must become humanity’s unlikely savior when joy becomes the world’s worst threat.

In a society overwhelmed by euphoric conformity, Carol (played by Rhea Seehorn) remains painfully unaffected by a mysterious condition favoring bliss over everything else. As officials implore her to embrace happiness, she resists—and soon finds herself thrust into a mission no one asked for. The world around her smiles too much, and Carol’s dissatisfaction becomes the last defense against a dystopian serenity. From creator Vince Gilligan, this genre-bending drama teases humor, unease, and a truth no one saw coming.

Crime 101 | Official Trailer
Crime 101 | Official Trailer

A master jewel thief and a relentless detective clash in a high-stakes game of heist and pursuit along California’s iconic 101 freeway.

The trailer introduces Davis (Chris Hemsworth), an elusive thief planning one final multimillion-dollar score, and Lt. Lubesnick (Mark Ruffalo), the veteran detective determined to end his run. They converge when insurance broker Sharon (Halle Berry) becomes an unwilling ally to Davis’s scheme. Tensions rise amid high-speed heists on the 101, shifting loyalties, and the blurred line between hunter and hunted. The visuals pulse with sleek action, heist precision, and moral ambiguity.

ANEMONE - Official Trailer 2 [HD] - Only in Theaters October 3
ANEMONE - Official Trailer 2 [HD] - Only in Theaters October 3

A hermit in the woods. An estranged brother seeking answers. A family fractured by past violence—Anemone marks Daniel Day-Lewis’s return in a tension-soaked drama about the ties that bind and the wounds that persist.

The trailer opens with Jem Stoker (Sean Bean) leaving suburban life to find his brother Ray (Daniel Day-Lewis), who has lived isolated in the woods for decades. Their reunion is charged with years of unspoken trauma. There are flashes of a haunting past—gunfire, cryptic childhood drawings, dead creatures—imbalanced by tender moments that suggest longing, guilt, and the possibility of healing. Co-written by father and son, and directed by Ronan Day-Lewis in his debut, the film explores generational violence, estrangement, and emotional reckoning.

Now You See Me: Now You Don’t (2025) - Official Trailer #2
Now You See Me: Now You Don’t (2025) - Official Trailer #2

The Four Horsemen reunite with a new generation of illusionists in a high-stakes mission to pull off a global heist, exposing a powerful heiress and clearing their names in a sprawling magical showdown.

The trailer ramps up the spectacle: Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco, and Isla Fisher are back as the original Horsemen, this time mentoring young illusionists Justice Smith, Ariana Greenblatt, and Dominic Sessa. Meanwhile, Veronika Vanderberg (Rosamund Pike), a ruthless heiress with ties to arms dealers and criminal networks, emerges as their adversary. Scenes of deception, illusion, and elaborate heists interlace with moments of tension: the original magicians’ legacy challenged by flashy tricks, dangerous gambits, and betrayal. The tone is slick, ambitious, with lots of twists and global scale.

The Diplomat: Season 3 | Official Trailer | Netflix
The Diplomat: Season 3 | Official Trailer | Netflix

After the U.S. President dies, Vice President Grace Penn takes office, but whispers of conspiracy, ambition, and betrayal threaten to turn the Oval Office into a political powder keg.

The trailer opens on chaos: President Rayburn has died — and Grace Penn (Allison Janney), formerly VP, is now President. Kate Wyler (Keri Russell), Ambassador to the UK, warns that Grace is “terribly flawed” and may make a catastrophic mistake. Mixed in are revelations: the deceased president was on the phone with Kate’s husband at his moment of death, raising suspicions. Kate, initially plotting against Grace, may find that getting what she wanted brings nightmare consequences. Tensions run high in Washington and London as alliances shift, secrets loom, and personal and political stakes climb.

The Lost Bus — Official Trailer 2 | Apple TV+
The Lost Bus — Official Trailer 2 | Apple TV+

In the face of California’s deadliest wildfire, a school bus driver risks everything to save children—battling flames, fear, and his own past in a harrowing fight for survival.

The trailer intensifies the harrowing true story of the 2018 Camp Fire, showing Kevin McKay (Matthew McConaughey) answering the call to rescue a teacher (America Ferrera) and her students trapped by encroaching flames. The inferno closes in, communications fail, and every mile becomes a battle. Scenes of urgency, smoke-choked roads, emotional reunions, and desperate action amplify the stakes. McKay’s resolve is tested—and as the inferno threatens everything, the trailer juxtaposes human courage with natural disaster in wrenching fashion.

The Running Man official trailer
The Running Man official trailer

A desperate man signs up for a lethal TV competition to fend off economic collapse—and finds himself fighting not just for survival, but for the souls watching him.

The trailer introduces Ben Richards, a working-class father confronted with medical bills and no work—as society crumbles around him. In a dystopian near-future, he’s recruited by producer Dan Killian to become a “Runner” on the brutal show The Running Man, where contestants must survive being hunted by professional assassins for 30 days. As Richards is thrust into the spotlight, scenes of disguise, chase, betrayal, and floated cameras capture how spectacle, desperation, and resistance collide. The tone is an Edgar Wright mix of high tension, grim humor, and dystopian spectacle.

ANACONDA – Official Trailer (HD)
ANACONDA – Official Trailer (HD)

Two middle-aged best friends go from fanboys with a dream to fugitives when their passion project—remaking Anaconda—turns deadly in the Amazon jungle.

The trailer follows Doug (Jack Black) and Griff (Paul Rudd), longtime pals who decide to remake their childhood favorite film Anaconda. They gather a crew, head into the Amazon, but chaos ensues when the real danger appears: a giant anaconda, unexpected financing chaos, snake rentals gone wrong, and survival suddenly becomes more than just art. The mood shifts fast from comedy about midlife crises to action-horror as what was supposed to be fun becomes a fight for life. The trailer leans into meta humor, creature threats, and absurd situations wrapped in jungle adventure.

Christy (2025) Official Trailer | TIFF 50 | Sydney Sweeney, Ben Foster
Christy (2025) Official Trailer | TIFF 50 | Sydney Sweeney, Ben Foster

A legendary boxer fights both in the ring and in her marriage, confronting fame, abuse, and survival. Christy tracks Christy Martin’s rise from small-town roots to the heights of boxing history.

The trailer follows Sydney Sweeney’s transformation into boxing icon Christy Martin, showing her early triumphs in West Virginia and her growing reputation under the guidance of her trainer-turned-husband Jim (Ben Foster). Scenes of intense training, early victories, and public acclaim are juxtaposed with escalating personal conflict, including emotional abuse and the shocking 2010 attack that nearly ended her life. Grit, blood, and perseverance dominate as Christy fights to reclaim her identity inside and outside the ring. Premiere at TIFF; opens in theaters November 7, 2025. 

Jonathan P. Moustakas https://thecinemagroup.co
Previous

‘Highest 2 Lowest’ Trailer: Denzel Washington and A$AP Rocky Clash in Spike Lee’s Urban Crime Epic
Next

‘Americana’ Premiere: Sydney Sweeney Returns to Spotlight Amid Ad Controversy