This year, the Cannes Film Festival will not feature any Korean films.
On the 10th (local time), the Cannes Film Festival's organizing committee held a press conference to announce the official selections for the 78th Cannes International Film Festival. Unfortunately, no Korean films were mentioned in any of the categories, including the 24 films in the competition section, as well as the non-competition section, Midnight Screenings, Un Certain Regard, and Cannes Premiere.
This marks the first time in 12 years, since 2013, that no Korean feature films have been invited to either the competition or non-competition sections of the Cannes Film Festival. It was reported that Korean films such as Yeon Sang-ho's "Face" (literal title), Kim Mi-jo's "Gyeongju Journey" (literal title) and Kim Byung-woo's "Omniscient Reader: The Prophet" were submitted but did not meet the festival's standards. Park Chan-wook's new film "No Other Choice" was expected to be a strong contender for the competition section, but it was not submitted as post-production was not completed. Na Hong-jin's "Hope" (literal title) was also not submitted as its release date was pushed to next year.
The last time a Korean film was invited to the competition section was in 2022 with Park Chan-wook's "Decision to Leave" and "Broker," directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda and distributed by CJ ENM. Last year, Ryu Seung-wan's "I, THE EXECUTIONER" was screened in the Midnight Screenings, a non-competition section.
There is still a chance for Korean films to be invited, as the Cannes Film Festival sometimes announces additional selections before it opens. However, with directors like Park Chan-wook and Na Hong-jin not submitting their films, the likelihood of a major section invitation seems slim.
While an invitation to Cannes is not the sole measure of a country's film industry, the absence of a new generation of directors following the global success of directors like Park Chan-wook, Bong Joon-ho, and Na Hong-jin could be seen as a sign of challenges facing the Korean film industry.
Meanwhile, the competition section for the prestigious Palme d'Or includes films like "Young Mothers" by the Dardenne brothers, "Nouvelle Vague" by Richard Linklater, "Phoenician Scheme" by Wes Anderson, "Eddington" by Ari Aster, "Alpha" by Julia Ducournau, "Renoir" by Chie Hayakawa, and "The Mastermind" by Kelly Reichardt, among others.
This year's Cannes Film Festival will open on the 13th of next month and conclude on the 24th. French actress Juliette Binoche will serve as the president of the competition jury.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kim Ji-hye)