BIFF Festival Opener
The Table: Day and Night, Kim Jong-kwan’s New Romance, Opens BIFF 2026
Key Points
The ensemble cast for The Table: Day and Night extends beyond the four central couples, including Kim Min-ha as Yoo-jin, Joo Jong-hyuk as Hyun-oh, Jeon So-young as Na-kyung, Chang Ryul as Young-min, and Kim Dong-hwi as Jong-su, alongside the previously announced leads.
The film is set to have its world premiere as BIFF's opening film for the 31st edition, underscoring its marquee status at the festival.
Kim Jong-kwan is connected to Netflix through producing a segment of Persona (Walking at Night), highlighting his broader international footprint beyond feature films.
Kim Jong-kwan has a long-standing relationship with Busan’s BIFF, having been involved with the festival for more than two decades, including early work on One Shining Day (premiered at BIFF in 2005) and later features Come, Closer (2010) and The Table (2017).
The title and translation appear in BIFF coverage as Day and Night Are to Each Other, illustrating variations in naming alongside The Table: Day and Night for the festival opening.
Kim Jong-kwan's romantic drama "The Table: Day and Night" will open the 31st Busan International Film Festival, BIFF announced. The film follows four couples sharing intimate conversations at a single cafe as seasons shift from summer to autumn, according to Variety.
The festival runs October 6–15 in Busan, South Korea. The film will have its world premiere as the marquee opening title, marking another milestone in Kim Jong-kwan's long relationship with the festival.
A Single Cafe, Four Couples, Four Seasons
The film centers on four couples, each meeting at the same cafe as time moves through the seasons. BIFF describes the film as a "gracefully mature" work that focuses on inner voices and evolving relationships, according to Variety. There are no big dramatic twists — just quiet conversations that reveal how people change.
The ensemble cast includes Shim Eun-kyung, Kim Minha as Yoo-jin, Joo Jong-hyuk as Hyun-oh, Han Sun-hwa, Lee Hee-jun, Jeon So-young as Na-kyung, Chang Ryul as Young-min, and Kim Dong-hwi as Jong-su. The film also goes by the alternate title "Day and Night Are to Each Other" in some BIFF coverage, Variety noted.
Kim Jong-kwan's Two-Decade Bond With BIFF
Kim Jong-kwan has been connected to BIFF for more than 20 years. His debut feature "One Shining Day" premiered at the festival in 2005. He later returned with "Come, Closer" in 2010 and "The Table" in 2017, according to Variety.
"The Table: Day and Night" revisits the world of his 2017 film, making it a spiritual follow-up to one of his most celebrated works. BIFF's selection signals confidence in Kim as one of Korea's leading auteurs — directors with a strong personal style.
Netflix Persona and Kim's International Reach
Kim Jong-kwan is not only a festival filmmaker. He produced a segment of Netflix's anthology film "Persona," called "Walking at Night," giving him a footprint on one of the world's biggest streaming platforms. That project helped introduce his quiet, character-driven style to a global audience, according to Variety.
His back catalog — including "Come, Closer" and "Shades of the Heart" — shows a director consistently drawn to emotional nuance over spectacle. BIFF's choice to open the 2026 edition with his new film fits a broader pattern of spotlighting Korean auteurs on the festival's biggest stage.
BIFF 2026 Opens October 6 in Busan
The 31st edition of BIFF kicks off on October 6 and runs through October 15. The festival is one of Asia's largest and most prestigious film events. Opening with a world premiere is a signature move for BIFF, which has long used its opening slot to champion Korean cinema, according to Variety.
"The Table: Day and Night" arrives with strong credentials — a celebrated director, a deep ensemble cast, and a story built on the kind of small, human moments that tend to resonate long after the credits roll.
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