Five Korean films have been invited to this year’s Cannes International Film Festival, which kicks off in the French resort town on Tuesday. Kim Chang-hoon’s “Hopeless,” Kim Jee-woon’s “Cobweb,” Hong Sang-soo’s “In Our Day,” Kim Tae-gon’s “Project Silence” and Jason Yu’s “Sleep” will be shown at the festival.
There will be no South Korean films competing for the main prize, the Palme d’Or, at the 76th edition of the festival, which runs until May 27.
“Hopeless” and “Cobweb” were invited in the Un Certain Regard and Out of Competition categories, respectively.
“Cobweb,” Kim Jee-woon’s first feature film in 13 years and his third Cannes project, stars veteran actor Song Kang-ho, who won the best actor award at Cannes last year.
“Cobweb” is about the struggles of a film director, played by Song, in the 1970s, when the industry was suffering from government censorship and unsupportive actors. Lim Soo-jeong, Oh Jeong-se, Jeon Yeo-been, and Jung Soo-jung are among the cast members.
“Cobweb” follows Kim’s previous non-competition films, “A Bittersweet Life” in 2005 and “The Good, The Bad, and the Weird” in 2008. Both featured Song as the main character.
“Hopeless” will be shown in the Un Certain Regard section, which is dedicated to art house films.
The film, which stars actor Song Joong-ki, is about Yun-kyu (Hong Sa-bin), who wants to get away from his daily struggles. Yun-kyu meets crime organization underboss Chi-gun (Song) one day and becomes involved in dangerous situations.
The directors and other cast members are expected to join Song Kang-ho and Song Joong-ki on the red carpet.
In the meantime, Hong Sang-soo’s “In Our Day” has been chosen as the closing film for the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight section.
Director Hong’s 12th film at the festival is “In Our Day,” starring Kim Min-hee, Ki Joo-bong, and Song Seon-mi.
The horror film “Sleep” by Jason Yu has been invited to Cannes Critics Week, which focuses on first and second features by emerging directors.
Yu worked as an assistant to director Bong Joon-ho on the Oscar-nominated film “Parasite” (2019).
The film, starring Lee Sun-kyun and Jung Yu-mi, is about a newlywed couple whose husband exhibits strange behavior while sleeping.
Finally, Kim Tae-gon’s “Project Silence,” starring Lee Sun-kyun and Ju Ji-hoon, has been invited to the Midnight Screening section, an out-of-competition section dedicated to films with popular appeal as well as artistic value.
“Project Silence” tells the story of people stranded on a collapsing bridge in dense fog. Kim was previously involved in the production of films such as “The Queen of Crime” (2016) and “The King of Jokgu” (2013).
According to industry insiders, directors Kim Chang-hoon of “Hopeless” and Jason Yu of “Sleep” have a chance to win the Camera D’or award. The award is given to the best first feature film in each of the Cannes sections, including Directors’ Fortnight and International Critics’ Week. The winner will be announced at the closing ceremony on May 27 by an independent jury.