Director Hong Sang-soo referred to his lover, actress Kim Min-hee, as a "production manager."
Hong Sang-soo's new film 'What Does Nature Say to You, Hanni' has been invited to the competition section of the 75th Berlin International Film Festival. Director Hong departed for Germany through Incheon International Airport on the 19th to attend the world premiere screening held on the 20th (local time).
In this process, Kim Min-hee's appearance in her late pregnancy was captured at the airport, drawing attention.
On the 19th, a media outlet captured and released the moment Director Hong Sang-soo and his lover Kim Min-hee boarded a flight to Munich at Incheon International Airport Terminal 1. Kim Min-hee was seen wearing sunglasses and a black mask, dressed in a long coat. The late pregnancy line was clearly visible despite her wearing the coat. Last month, it was reported that Kim Min-hee is pregnant with Director Hong's child and is expected to give birth this spring. Director Hong was dressed in all black but only wore glasses, without covering his face.
Director Hong's 33rd feature film, 'What Does Nature Say to You, Hanni,' has officially been invited to the competition section of the 75th Berlin International Film Festival, which began on the 13th. Kim Min-hee, who participated in this film as a production manager, appears to have decided to accompany Director Hong despite being late in her pregnancy.
Although photographs of Kim Min-hee at the airport were released, she did not attend the press conference. The screening and the press conference held on that day were attended by Director Hong Sang-soo, Ha Sung-guk, Kwon Hae-hyo, Jo Yoon-hee, and Kang So-hee, but Kim Min-hee did not attend.
At the press conference, in relation to the budget and overall work of the film being managed personally, Director Hong noted, "I do not calculate the budget separately. There are colleagues. The personnel we need to make the film are 3 production managers. Including a boom microphone operator, there are 4 people," directly mentioning Kim Min-hee. The filming period is 3 weeks, and the actual shooting days are said to be 7 to 8 days.
Meanwhile, this invitation marks Director Hong's sixth consecutive achievement following his previous works 'The Woman Who Ran,' 'Introduction,' 'The Novelist's Film,' 'In the Water,' and 'The Need for Travelers.' Director Hong has won the Silver Bear for Best Actress for 'Alone on the Night Beach' at the 67th Berlin International Film Festival, the Silver Bear for Best Director for 'The Woman Who Ran' at the 70th, the Silver Bear for Best Screenplay for 'Introduction' at the 71st, the Jury Prize for 'The Novelist's Film' at the 72nd, and the Jury Prize for 'The Need for Travelers' at the 74th.
'What Does Nature Say to You, Hanni' is a work participated by Ha Sung-guk, Kwon Hae-hyo, and Jo Yoon-hee, who have appeared in many of the director's previous works. The film depicts events that unfold when a thirty-something poet named Dong-hwa accidentally visits the home of his lover, Jun-hee. It is set to be released domestically in the first half of this year.
Meanwhile, Director Hong and Kim Min-hee met and fell in love while working on the film 'Right Now, Wrong Then' in 2015. Additionally, Director Hong Sang-soo filed for divorce mediation with his wife of 30 years, but his wife showed her determination to maintain the family by refusing to accept any documents related to the divorce mediation sent to the court. Ultimately, the couple's divorce mediation proceeded to trial, during which Director Hong admitted to his affair with Kim Min-hee.
In the midst of the divorce proceedings that lasted over two years, in June 2019, the court dismissed the divorce lawsuit filed by Hong Sang-soo against his wife. At that time, the court upheld the principle of 'fault principle,' stating that a person responsible for divorce cannot file for divorce against their spouse.
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