Daryl Wang '25 Wins Big at Busan International Film Festival

Film alum and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Film and Media Studies Daryl Wang '25 took home the Sonje Award for Best Short Film (Asia) at the 2025 Busan International Film Festival for his film Delay, co-written by Film student Tiankuo Men and produced by Film alum Guang Ren '25.

Delay, a 15-minute film saturated with gorgeous, moody tension, follows a father and son and explores the distance between them. The father, having come out as gay later in life and gotten a divorce, attempts to attend his son's heterosexual wedding in Paris, but his trip gets unexpectedly delayed. 

"No matter how much heartbreak or failure life brings, filmmaking remains, for me, an act of gratitude to life," Wang said. "Delay was born out of my regrets—as a son, a friend, and a lover, I often fell short. Yet I still choose to record those failures, and to keep striving to become someone more worthy of love."

"Winning this award means the world to me," Wang continued. "I have been disappointed many times before, and I’ve learned that failure may not guarantee success, but it gives us the courage to rise, to try again. I hope this honor can inspire my fellow classmates to keep chasing their dreams."

In an Instagram post announcing the film's international premiere at Busan, the cast and crew expressed their heartfelt gratitude:

"Many of our team took on more than one role, both on and off set. That’s how much heart went into this project. We truly believe passion can carry us through every obstacle, and a strong story can melt any ice."

The 30th BIFF ran September 17–26, screening over 200 films from across the globe and drawing international industry leaders and audiences to the Haeundae District in Busan, South Korea. The inaugural festival in 1996 was Korea's first international film festival; it is now the biggest festival of its kind in East Asia. With a focus on introducing new films and first-time directors, particularly those from Asian countries, premiering at the festival is a massive opportunity for young filmmakers like Wang. 

Wang was not the only Columbia filmmaker at the acclaimed festival. House of Dynamite, directed by Film alum Kathryn Bigelow '81, screened in the Icons section, which spotlights films by "contemporary masters of world cinema." The Wedding Banquet, written and produced by Professor of Professional Practice of Film and Media Studies James Schamus, screened in the World Cinema section, which featured a panoramic view of the last year in global cinema, spotlighting both established filmmakers and emerging talents. 

Daryl Wang Han-Xuan is a director and screenwriter. He holds a BFA in Film & Television from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, and an MFA in Film Directing from Columbia University School of the Arts. He has directed and produced works selected by international festivals including the International Film Festival Rotterdam and the 17th FIRST International Film Festival. His documentary short Stephanie and Her Play was nominated for Best Documentary at NYU’s Sight & Sound Showcase. His latest short film Delay is currently under a distribution partnership with the Italian sales company Lights On. He has worked at Jia Zhangke’s Xstream Pictures in Beijing as a directing intern, Poly Film Investment as a screenwriter and development strategist, and in the directing department of Mars Project, a large-scale Chinese sci-fi feature developed for theatrical release. At Columbia, he serves as Assistant to the Head of the Film Directing concentration, supporting international workshops, curatorial initiatives, and graduate advising.