Short-Form Goes Big Screen at BIFAN 2026

So here's something that feels like a real milestone for K-content — two short-form dramas originally made for your phone screen are now heading to one of Korea's most celebrated genre film festivals. The theatrical versions of "Winding Up" and "After School Exorcism Club," both produced by the global K-pop short-form platform KITZ, have been officially selected to screen at the 30th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival, more commonly known as BIFAN.

For those unfamiliar, BIFAN is a major South Korean film festival held annually in Bucheon, a city just west of Seoul. It specializes in fantasy, horror, thriller, and genre cinema, making it one of the most unique and beloved film events in Asia. Getting invited here is no small thing — and the fact that short-form content is now landing on its program says a lot about where the industry is heading.

Both films have been selected as official screenings under BIFAN's specially curated program called "Platform Special: Short-Form Cinema," which is designed to spotlight the growing influence of short-form content in mainstream entertainment. Specific screening dates are set to be announced at a later time.

Winding Up: The Movie — NCT's Jeno and Jaemin on the Pitcher's Mound

First up is "Winding Up: The Movie," starring NCT members Jeno (Lee Je-no) and Jaemin (Na Jae-min). If you're not deep into the K-pop world, NCT is one of SM Entertainment's flagship groups, and Jeno and Jaemin are two of its most prominent members — both known for their visuals and growing acting ambitions.

The story follows a high school baseball pitcher who can no longer throw a proper strike, and a transfer student who unexpectedly becomes his self-appointed manager. What's really interesting is how this sports drama leans into themes of youth, friendship, and resilience — it's described as a sparkly, pure-hearted coming-of-age story about two boys finding their footing together.

The original short-form drama "Winding Up" dropped back in January and absolutely took off. Across social media channels and within the KITZ app, it racked up approximately 30 million views — a number that really underscores how hungry audiences are for this kind of content. The theatrical version, "Winding Up: The Movie," takes the original vertical-format footage and reformats it into a widescreen, horizontal presentation fit for the big screen. It's set to open in CGV cinemas on July 2nd, with its BIFAN appearance adding another layer of prestige to its rollout.

After School Exorcism Club: Girls' Night — FIFTY FIFTY's Acting Debut Gets a Theater Run

The second film is "After School Exorcism Club: Girls' Night," and this one is particularly notable because it marks the acting debut of girl group FIFTY FIFTY. The group — known internationally for their 2023 viral hit "Cupid" — steps into a very different kind of spotlight here: a high-teen occult comedy.

The plot centers on five quirky and energetic high school girls who team up to exorcise a spirit that's been haunting their school. Think ghost-busting chaos, teenage comedy energy, and just enough spookiness to fit right into the BIFAN lineup. It's the kind of concept that sounds like it was made for this festival.

What makes this project especially ambitious is how it was designed from the ground up as a multi-format experience. The filmmakers conceived it with movies, mid-form series, and short-form drama in mind simultaneously. The theatrical cut even includes animated sequences that weren't part of the original short-form drama — so fans who watched the series will find something genuinely new here. On top of that, the film shares its fictional universe with FIFTY FIFTY's fourth mini-album, "Imperfect-I'mperfect," weaving the group's music and storytelling worlds together in a creative way.

"After School Exorcism Club: Girls' Night" is set to open in theaters on June 25th, ahead of its BIFAN screening.

What This Means for Short-Form Content

Here's the bigger picture worth paying attention to: both of these projects started life as vertical short-form videos on a mobile platform — content designed to be watched in short bursts on a smartphone. The fact that they're now being adapted into theatrical films and screened at an internationally recognized film festival is a pretty significant statement about the evolution of short-form storytelling.

KITZ, the platform behind both titles, positions itself as a premium short-form destination specifically built around K-pop culture and fandom. The move to bring these stories to the cinema — and to BIFAN specifically — signals that the platform is serious about elevating short-form drama beyond its origins as scroll-friendly content.

"This BIFAN invitation is meaningful in that short-form content is expanding into various formats and broadening its points of contact with audiences. We expect it to deliver a whole new viewing experience on the theater screen," said a representative involved with both films.

So whether you're a fan of Jeno and Jaemin, a FIFTY FIFTY follower, or just someone who's curious about where K-content is heading next, these two films at BIFAN are worth keeping on your radar. Short-form is clearly no longer just something you watch while waiting for the subway — it's making its way onto the big stage, quite literally.

This article is based on reports from Osen, Wikileaks-kr, Sportsseoul.