'Hope' director Na Hong-jin said the theatrical release version changed after its screening at the Cannes Film Festival.
On the afternoon of the 6th at Megabox COEX in Seoul, a press screening for the film 'Hope' was held. Director Na Hong-jin and lead actors Hwang Jung-min, Zo In-sung, Jung Ho-yeon and others attended the event.
'Hope' (director and screenwriter Na Hong-jin, produced by Forged Films, co-produced by Plus M Entertainment·West World Co., provided and distributed by Plus M Entertainment) is the story that begins when Beom-seok (played by Hwang Jung-min), the branch office chief of Hopohang located in the demilitarized zone, hears from local youths that a tiger has appeared, putting the whole village on alert and confronting an unbelievable reality.
Hwang Jung-min delivers a passionate performance as Beom-seok, the arrogant but responsible branch office chief of Hopohang; Zo In-sung plays Seong-gi, a village youth who passes time hunting and fishing; and Jung Ho-yeon plays Seong-ae, a Hopohang police officer who does her job in any situation.
The sci-fi film 'Hope' is said to have the largest production budget in the history of Korean cinema. It is said to be at least 70 billion won and, adding later marketing and promotion costs, could reach as much as 100 billion won. The film is generating major buzz with a star-studded cast including top stars Hwang Jung-min, Zo In-sung, Jung Ho-yeon and Hollywood actors Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander, Taylor Russell and Cameron Britton.
It was an official selection in competition at the 79th Cannes Film Festival and is Na Hong-jin's first new work in 10 years since The Wailing (2016). It is the first Korean film to enter the Cannes competition in four years since Park Chan-wook's Decision to Leave, and after its world premiere in May it received praise from many foreign media outlets. According to the Korea Film Council (KOFIC) integrated ticketing system, although 'Hope' opens in more than a week, it has already surpassed a real-time reservation rate of 45%, ranking overwhelmingly first. It is already proving audience expectations for the work.
Just after the official screening at the Cannes Film Festival, some scenes in 'Hope' had changed, and Na Hong-jin said, "Perhaps the number of that cut is 290, and there are almost 100 versions. I thought about which version would be most effective in theaters," adding, "I watched the film with you today, so I don't know how it came out. There are changes compared to when we tested it here. I only thought about which shots to place."
He went on, "The edit changed compared with Cannes, and we went through such changes," adding, "If you saw the film at Cannes, more than five minutes were cut. At the same time, parts were added. (With five minutes cut) about three to four minutes were ultimately added, creating changes."
Meanwhile, 'Hope' opens on the 15th.<
[Photo] Lee Dae-sun reporter
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