Director July Jung is heading to the Cannes Film Festival once again with her latest film, 'Dora'.
'Dora' tells the story of a family that leaves Seoul for a summer vacation at a seaside villa. During their stay, Dora, who has been suffering from an unknown illness, discovers love for the first time, causing everything around her to slowly begin to waver. The film stars Kim Do-yeon and Ando Sakura.
Director July Jung has a long-standing relationship with the Cannes Film Festival. Her feature debut, 'A Girl at My Door' (2014), was invited to Un Certain Regard, and her second feature, 'Next Sohee' (2022), was selected as the closing film for Critics' Week. This time, 'Dora' has been officially invited to the Directors' Fortnight.
"I am thrilled to be able to share the film as soon as it was completed," Director July Jung said in a brief but poignant statement. "I look forward to meeting audiences from around the world and returning home soon to greet our own viewers."
Kim Do-yeon, who plays the title role of 'Dora' and will be stepping onto the Cannes red carpet for the first time in her life, shared her thoughts: "The fact that my first time at Cannes begins with Dora's first steps holds a deeper meaning for me than anything else. On set, Director July Jung allowed me to breathe completely as Dora, and Ando Sakura-sunbaenim awakened me with a fresh energy in every scene. I am excited to see what the landscape will look like when the Cannes audience meets Dora. I hope that the time we spent together reaches the screen honestly."
Ando Sakura, who plays the other lead character, 'Nami', returns to Cannes following her appearances in 'Shoplifters' (2018) and 'Monster' (2023). Having appeared in a Korean film for the first time through 'Dora', she expressed her hopes: "Last summer, even in situations where we couldn't communicate through language, I found myself looking at my surroundings more deeply than ever to share our hearts. I realized that while film transcends language and culture, the space in front of the camera is also a place where we can share our hearts without words. I sincerely look forward to meeting you all at my first Directors' Fortnight screening."
'Dora' is an international co-production project involving four countries: South Korea, France, Luxembourg, and Japan. Led by the Korean production company REDPETER FILMS, the project was co-produced by The French Connection and ARTE FRANCE CINÉMA in France, and Les Films Fauves in Luxembourg.
Production crews from various countries participated in the filming and post-production processes. French cinematographer Irina Lubtchansky captured the nuances of the female character's body and emotions with delicacy. The production involved cross-border collaboration, with visual effects (VFX) handled in Korea and France, sound design in Korea and Luxembourg, and color grading in France.
Following its world premiere at Cannes, 'Dora' is scheduled to be released in South Korea in the second half of 2026.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kim Ji-hye)
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