Director Na Hong-jin's new film "Hope (HOPE)" has been invited to the competition section of the Cannes Film Festival, which opens on May 12. It is the first time in four years that a Korean film has advanced to the competition section since director Park Chan-wook's "Decision to Leave" in 2022.
The Cannes Film Festival executive committee held a press conference on the 9th (local time) to announce the official selections for the 79th festival and said it had selected "Hope" for screening in competition.
Last year, concerns grew as not a single Korean feature film was invited across official and unofficial sections, but this year Korean cinema will again compete for the Palme d'Or.
"Hope" is a mystery thriller that depicts the chaos that unfolds when an unidentified presence appears in a remote port village, and it is slated for release this summer. Korean actors Hwang Jung-min, Zo In-sung, Jung Ho-yeon, and Hollywood actors Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander star.
Executive director Thierry Frémaux introduced the film as an "action movie" while noting that "its genre keeps changing for over two hours."
Also on the invitation list released the same day was director Yeon Sang-ho's new film "Swarm." The film was invited to the noncompetition "Midnight Screening" section. It is a zombie film about survivors trapped in a building locked down by an outbreak who face off against the infected, and it stars Jun Ji-hyun, Koo Kyo-hwan, and Ji Chang-wook. The domestic release is scheduled for next month.
The two directors also visited Cannes together in 2016. At the time, director Na Hong-jin presented "The Wailing," and director Yeon Sang-ho presented "Train to Busan," drawing international attention.
At this year's Cannes Film Festival, director Park Chan-wook will serve as jury president, a first for a Korean. In the competition section, a total of 20 films made the lineup, including "Hope," director Hirokazu Kore-eda's "Sheep in a Box," director Ryusuke Hamaguchi's "All of a Sudden One Day," and director Pedro Almodóvar's "A Bitter Christmas."