Busan Asian Film School (AFiS)

Overview

The Asian Film School (AFiS) is a film training institution in Busan, South Korea, established in 2007 with the mission of developing filmmaking talent across the Asian continent. The school is closely connected to the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), one of the most important film festivals in Asia, which creates direct links between students and the international film industry.

Busan, South Korea's second-largest city, has positioned itself as a hub for Asian cinema through BIFF and the Busan Cinema Center, a state-of-the-art cultural complex. The city's investment in film culture and infrastructure provides AFiS students with access to festival screenings, industry events, and networking opportunities that would be difficult to access elsewhere.

AFiS is designed specifically for filmmakers from Asian countries who may lack access to quality film education in their home nations. The school brings together students from across the continent, creating a pan-Asian creative community that reflects the diversity of filmmaking traditions across the region.

Programs Offered

• Regular Course in Filmmaking -- a program covering directing, screenwriting, cinematography, editing, and producing, designed for emerging filmmakers from Asian countries
• Short workshops and masterclasses -- intensive programs tied to BIFF and other industry events

What Students Should Know

AFiS teaches in English, making it accessible to students from across Asia's linguistically diverse landscape. The school actively recruits from countries where film education infrastructure is limited, including countries in Southeast Asia, Central Asia, and South Asia.

Tuition at AFiS is fully subsidized or heavily discounted for selected students, with scholarships covering fees, accommodation, and living expenses. This makes the school one of the most financially accessible film education options in Asia. The school's funding comes from the Korean Film Council and other institutional supporters.

The school's connection to BIFF is its most distinctive feature. Students attend festival screenings, participate in industry programs, and network with filmmakers, producers, and distributors from across Asia and the world. This exposure to the international film industry at a major festival level is a rare educational benefit.

AFiS cohorts are small, typically admitting 20 to 30 students per year. The intimate learning environment and the shared experience of studying abroad create strong bonds among classmates, building a pan-Asian professional network.

Notable Alumni

AFiS alumni return to their home countries to build filmmaking careers and, in many cases, to train the next generation of filmmakers. Graduates work across Asian cinema, contributing to the growth of film industries in countries throughout the region.

See Also

For understanding Asian cinema markets and festival strategy, see Film Festival Strategy. To plan your production budget, use the Production Budget Calculator.