BIFF 2025: Lisa surprises fans at Red Carpet after Emmys, No Other Choice Opens festival

BIFF 2025, Lisa

Busan got its biggest surprise on opening night of the 30th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) when Lisa showed up, unannounced, on the red carpet. Just a day earlier, the Blackpink star had dazzled at the Emmy Awards 2025 in Los Angeles. And now here she was in South Korea, bringing the flashbulbs and fan screams straight to Asia’s biggest cinema showcase.

Lisa, dressed in an illusion-style gown that shimmered under the spotlights, had fans gasping. Social media went into a meltdown within minutes.

One fan wrote on X, “Lisa at the film festival? Talk about a blockbuster surprise!” Another simply posted, “I thought this was edited. Emmy yesterday, BIFF today. Unreal.”

#LISA looks divine at the opening ceremony of the Busan International Film Festival, creating a real buzz with her surprise appearance at the festival! Lisa wore a #MaisonMargiela Haute Couture gown designed by Glenn Martens, which received widespread praise on social media for… pic.twitter.com/BrI60t83Eg

— World Music Awards (@WORLDMUSICAWARD) September 17, 2025

No Other Choice Opens the Festival

While Lisa stole the cameras, the evening officially belonged to Park Chan-Wook. His latest film No Other Choice headlined the festival’s opening, with Lee Byung-Hun, Son Ye-Jin, and Park Hee-Soon leading the cast on stage. The political thriller has already been a box office smash in Korea and made for a fitting curtain-raiser.

This year’s BIFF is also making history with its first full-fledged competition lineup, reflecting South Korea’s cultural rise after global hits like Squid Game and Parasite.

Women of BIFF 2025 ✨ pic.twitter.com/hWcDIOJRx4

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— ً (@minikangie) September 17, 2025

A Night of Stars

The red carpet was crowded with Korean talent—Han So-Hee, Jeon Jong-Seo, Kim Minha, Yoo Ji-Tae, Krystal Jung, and more. The team of The Murky Stream including Rowoon and Shin Ye-eun joined in. International cinema also flexed its presence: Hollywood’s Michael Mann walked in, while Iran’s Jafar Panahi picked up his Asian Filmmaker of the Year award.

Also read: Aryan Khan’s rumoured girlfriend Larissa Bonesi turns heads at The Ba**ds Of Bollywood premiere

From India, producer Shiladitya Bora arrived with Full Plate stars Tannishtha Chatterjee and Kirti Kulhari. Japanese cinema had strong representation with Nishijima Hidetoshi, Gwei Lun-mei, and Watanabe Ken.

But if there was one moment everyone’s still talking about, it was Lisa, smiling and waving, proof that K-pop glamour and global cinema now share the same stage.