Kim Jong-kwan’s ‘The Table: Day and Night’ to Open Busan

Home Film Festivals Aug 18, 2026 11:26pm PT Kim Jong-kwan’s ‘The Table: Day and Night’ to Open Busan By Naman Ramachandran Plus Icon Naman Ramachandran Latest North Korea-Focused Film Fund Bearing North Launches With ‘School for Defectors’ (EXCLUSIVE) 16 hours ago ‘Bluey’ Leads as Australia’s Screen and Games Sector Hits $7.9 Billion, Study Finds 16 hours ago Oscars: Taiwan Selects ‘A Foggy Tale’ for International Feature Race 20 hours ago See All Busan International Fim Festival The 31st Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) has selected “The Table: Day and Night,” directed by Kim Jong-kwan, as its opening film for the 2026 edition, marking the feature’s world premiere. The film tracks four couples moving through different stages of love inside the same cafe over the course of a summer and autumn, told through low-key, conversational scenes. It follows Yoo-jin (Kim Minha) and Hyeon-oh (Joo Jong-hyuk), who cross paths after visiting the cafe at separate times of day; Sang-mi (Han Sun-hwa) and Young-min (Chang Ryul), middle school friends reconnecting unexpectedly; web novelist Hye-jin (Shim Eun-kyung) and independent filmmaker Dong-nam (Lee Hee-jun), who find a creative spark between them; and idol trainee Na-kyeong (Jeon So-young) and her boyfriend Jong-su (Kim Dong-hwi), caught in a bittersweet moment together. The film leans on the cafe’s constant churn of strangers coming and going to draw out each character’s voice, temperament and quirks at a brisk clip. Related Stories Sophie Fleur de Bruijn, Whose Spec Script 'The One Month Mark' Sold to Apple With Jennifer Lawrence Attached, Signs With CAA (EXCLUSIVE)