BUSAN - Fireworks lit up the night sky and movie stars graced the red carpet as Asia's biggest film festival kicked off Thursday night in the South Korean city of Busan.

Japanese heartthrobs Joe Odagiri and Maeda Atsuko brought wild cheers from the thousands of fans gathered outside the Busan Cinema Center for the opening of the 18th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) while Hong Kong's Aaron Kwok was joined in front of the cameras by South Korean actress Kang Soo-Yeon.

Other top Asian stars as well as budding actors and actresses walked the red carpet Thursday at the start of this year's festival.

According to a report on Kpop Insider, Kang Hanna stayed at the center of attention with a controversial black dress.

The long sleeved dress with a high neck-line looked conservative, boring even, from the front. However from the back, the daring dress dipped low enough to reveal part of her derriere.

More than 300 films will be screened over 10 days, including 95 world premieres.

The festival closes on October 12 with the world premiere of the Kim Dong-hyun drama "The Dinner."