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Prior to the opening of this year’s 67th Cannes Film Festival, many voices in Korea lamented the exclusion of Korean films from the festival’s prestigious main competition for the second consecutive year. However, following the strong reception of Korean films invited to other sections of the world’s leading film festival, and a constant stream of news emanating from the Cannes Film Market, Korean cinema seems to have commanded as much attention on the Croisette in 2014 as it has in previous editions.

 

Ever since Korean films began screening at the Cannes Film Festival in 2000, when IM Kwon-taek, HONG Sangsoo and LEE Changdong were invited to France with their features Chunhyang, Virgin Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors and Peppermint Candy (1999), respectively, the country’s cineastes have maintained a strong winning streak on the Croisette. Despite a weaker Korean presence in some of the more recent editions, Korean films have still succeeded in picking up awards at the last five Cannes editions, starting with prizes for PARK Chan-wook’s Thirst and JO Sung-hee’s short Don’t Step Out of the House in 2009. Alas, the streak came to an end in 2014, but this year’s bumber crop of Korean titles at Cannes were nonetheless widely praised by critics. In all, three Korean features and a pair of shorts were featured in the various programs of this year’s festival on the French Riviera.

 

The most high profile among them was July JUNG’s debut work A Girl at My Door, which screened in the festival’s Un Certain Regard section. Boasting Cannes stalwart LEE Changdong as producer and actors BAE DOO-na and KIM Sae-ron, who both graced the Croisette in 2009 for KOREEDA Hirokazu’s Air Doll and Ounie LECOUNTE’s A Brand New Life, the character drama was well received in the South of France. Praised for its bravura performances, particularly from the 13-year-old KIM, and its thematic resonance, the film announced director JUNG as a formidable new force in the Korean filmmaking scene. Just prior to the close of festivities, UK distributor Peccadillo Pictures picked up A Girl at My Door for a theatrical release.

 

Perhaps Korea’s biggest success at Cannes this year was A Hard Day, the action-thriller that marked the second outing for director KIM Seong-hun, following his little known 2006 dramedy How the Lack of Love Affects Two Men. Screening in this year’s Director’s Fortnight sidebar, his new film received unanimous praise from critics, a privilege seldom afforded on the Croisette. Lauded for its technical skill, tight plotting and its pitch-black humor, the Showbox/Mediaplex title rewarded its viewers with a breathless piece of genre cinema. Though lacking any marquee names in the cast (which featured LEE Sun-kyun and CHO Jin-woong), positive notices for A Hard Day flooded social media the moment the curtains were closed after its press screening.

 

The only Korean film that didn’t premiere at Cannes, though it screened there uncut for the first time, was The Target, the remake of French thriller Point Blank (2010) that debuted in Korea on April 30th and has brought in 2.8 million viewers to date. Featuring in the Midnight Screenings, the film’s reception was generally positive but lukewarm. It followed the original’s plot quite closely, inserting a little more melodrama for the benefit of Korean audiences. The Target’s strong technical specs were highlighted by critics but its wealth of familiar elements were frowned upon by some. Nevertheless, the film was a strong seller in the market, locking sales with outfits in Latin America, Germany, Switzerland, Turkey and the Middle East, as well as clinching a deal for its in-flight rights.

 

Also screening in France were the student short Breath, from Chung-ang University student KWON Hyun-ju, in the Cinéfondation section and the French-Korean short animation Man on the Chair, from director JEONG Da-hee. JEONG’s film will also be participating in this year’s Annecy International Animation Film Festival.

 

Supporting all these Korean films were of course the directors and stars, but there were other famous Korean faces on the Croisette this year as well. Often dubbed the ‘Queen of Cannes’ at home due to her Best Actress win in France for LEE Changdong’s Secret Sunshine in 2007, JEON Do-yeon returned to Cannes to take part in the jury for the main competition, which was this year presided over by New Zealand filmmaker Jane Campion. She is the third Korean figure to serve on the jury, following directors SHIN Sang-ok in 1994 and LEE Changdong in 2009. Also present on the Riviera this year was SONG Hye-kyo, who was promoting her upcoming appearance in her second back-to-back Chinese blockbuster, John WOO’s The Crossing, due for release later this year. Her last film was WONG Kar-wai’s The Grandmaster.

 

Meanwhile in the market, top Korean sales companies were out in force showing off their wares, many of them presenting showreels for their major summer titles. Selling particularly well was Lotte Entertainment’s incoming summer swashbuckler The Pirates. Featuring SON Ye-jin and directed by LEE Seok-hoon (of 2012’s Dancing Queen), the film sealed deals with 15 territories, including North America, Japan, Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Poland, Taiwan, Thailand, India and various countries in Eastern Europe and South America. Powerhouse distributor Finecut Inc. also reported deals on a range of its titles, including Obsessed, Moebius, Rough Play and A Case of Bachelor Abduction.

 

Sales weren’t the only deals being reported at the Marché as a pair of major remakes involving Korean companies were also revealed. Production house Jong Film confirmed a deal with Hong Kong studio Media Asia to remake their Johnny TO thriller Drug War (2012) for the Korean market. On the other hand, remake plans were also announced for the Showbox title Hwayi: A Monster Boy, the long-awaited comeback of Save the Green Planet (2003) director JANG Joon-hwan that bowed last year. Now Film’s LEE Jun-dong, the producer of the original, is planning the US redo with Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) producer Frida Torresblanco.

 

As with past years, the Korean Film Council (KOFIC) took its place on the Croisette to support the presentation of the invited Korean films as well as to represent the industry as a whole in the market. During the Korean Film Night this year, held on Sunday, May 18th, Thierry Frémaux, the director of the Cannes Film Festival, was honored with the ‘Order of Culture Merit, Eun-Gwan Medal’ by the South Korean government. He was bestowed the award by KIM Dong-ho, the founder of the Busan International Film Festival and the head of Korea’s Presidential Committee for Cultural Enrichment, in recognition for his contributions to Korean cinema’s increased international exposure.

 

As another edition of Cannes winds up and its winners are praised, analyzed or decried, Korean film pundits set their sights on next year’s world cinema celebration on the Croisette, and whether Korean films may once again take their place in the prestigious main competition. Some critics have pointed out that today’s Korean film industry features very distinct independent and commercial industries. Perhaps what Cannes is looking for is the kind of film that could fill that gap. Of course, with almost a year until Cannes’ 68th edition before us, at this point it’s anybody’s guess.

 

By Pierce Conran