Director Na Hong-jin's new film Hope (HOPE) has been officially invited to the competition institutional sector of the 79th Cannes Film Festival, which opens on May 12.
On April 9 (Thursday) local time, the 79th Cannes Film Festival executive committee announced it officially invited Hope to the competition (Competition). Starting with his debut Chaser being invited to the midnight screenings (Midnight Screenings) in the noncompetition institutional sector at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival, The Yellow Sea was unusually invited to Un Certain Regard the year after its release in 2011, and The Wailing was invited to the out of competition institutional sector at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival, showing that director Na Hong-jin has had a deep relationship with the Cannes Film Festival.
With Hope's invitation to the competition institutional sector, director Na Hong-jin received the special honor of becoming the first Korean director whose every feature-length directorial work has been invited to the Cannes Film Festival. In particular, the competition institutional sector at Cannes selects and invites only about 20 films worldwide, making Hope especially meaningful as Na Hong-jin's first entry into the competition institutional sector. This invitation is also notable because it marks the first time in four years since 2022's Decision to Leave and Broker that a Korean film has been named in the competition institutional sector.
Director Na Hong-jin, who has been invited to Cannes four films in a row with Hope, said, "I am honored. I will work hard for the remaining time."
Hope begins with the branch office chief of Hopohang, located in the Demilitarized Zone, Beom-seok, hearing from local youths that a tiger has appeared; as the whole village goes on alert, he encounters an unbelievable reality. Na Hong-jin, who has captivated audiences and critics with overwhelming immersion, highly finished mise-en-scène, and outstanding directing, unveiled his long-prepared new work Hope at its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May, and it is expected to meet audiences in theaters this summer.
[Photo] OSEN DB
[OSEN]