The “Guest Country” of the 2024 Busan International Short Film Festival (BISFF) is Italy. Italy, once a major global powerhouse in cinema during its early years, experienced a decline throughout the early- and mid-20th century. However, by being included in the Venice Biennale of Fine Arts, Italy established the world's first film festival in Venice. Italy revolutionized and dominated world cinema once again with “Neorealism” that was born from the unfavorable political and economic conditions caused by war. Visionary Italian cinéaste including Rossellini, Visconti, De Sica, Fellini, Antonioni and Pasolini demonstrated that Italian films are unparalleled in their greatness to audiences across Europe and beyond. Now, more than half a century has passed since that heady era. In 2024, here in Busan, Italy’s new short films will be premiered in the Guest Country section, offering festival attendees a chance to experience the strengths of Italian cinema: its unique ability to be in close touch with historical and social realities, shaped by their rich cinematic tradition; its capacity for exploring distinctive aesthetics; and the skill to communicate strongly with audiences through these cinematic elements.