The 22nd Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) closed on Saturday, drawing over 190-thousand audiences during its ten-day run.

The organizer said on Saturday in a news conference that about 193-thousand people attended this year's festival, up about 17 percent from last year.

This year's figure, however, fell far short of the 2015 record of 227-thousand-377.

Executive Director of BIFF Kang Soo-youn said that the audience number increased from last year despite various internal and external difficulties and the Busan film festival has begun to grow again, which confirms that the owners of the festival are the audience members and films.

The 22nd BIFF opened on October 12, displaying about 300 films from 69 countries.