Korean films have failed to enter the Cannes Film Festival for the first time in 12 years. Not a single film was invited.
The Cannes Film Festival executive committee held a press conference on the 10th (local time) to announce the official selections for the 78th Cannes Film Festival. There were various categories such as competition, non-competition, midnight screenings, Un Certain Regard, and Cannes Premiere, but Korean films were ultimately not named in any of them.
Among domestic works, it was reported that films such as "Face" by director Yeon Sang-ho, "Gyeongju Trip" by director Kim Mi-jo, and "Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint" by director Kim Byung-woo were submitted, but they ultimately did not make the final selection.
It has been 12 years since no Korean feature film was invited to the Cannes Film Festival, the last time being in 2013. At that time, it was only recognized in the short film competition and not in any major categories.
There were speculations about the possibility of director Park Chan-wook's new film "Decision to Leave" entering the competition, but it is reported that it could not be submitted as post-production was not completed. As a result, Korean films have not been listed in the competition category for three consecutive years.
Since director Im Kwon-taek's "Chunhyang" entered the competition in 2000, Korean films have participated in the Cannes Film Festival every year. Recently, Korean films have achieved notable success, with Bong Joon-ho's "Parasite" winning the Palme d'Or in 2019, and Park Chan-wook winning Best Director for "Decision to Leave" and actor Song Kang-ho winning Best Actor for "Broker" in 2022.
Meanwhile, the 78th Cannes Film Festival will be held from May 13 to 24 in the southern French resort city of Cannes.
[Ji Seung-hoon, Star Today Reporter]
