NEWS & REPORTS
- Korean Film News
- Park Chan-wook’s “No Other Choice” Selected as Korea’s Oscar Entry for Next Year
- by Yonhap / Sep 08, 2025
Scene from the film “No Other Choice”[CJ ENM · Moho Film provided. Redistribution and database storage prohibited]The Korean Film Council announced on the 3rd that, following its review, it has chosen “No Other Choice” as Korea’s submission for the International Feature Film category at the 97th Academy Awards, scheduled for March next year.
The selection committee stated: “Considering the film’s solid cinematic completeness, its timely theme of ‘layoffs,’ the excellent performances of the cast, and the support of an experienced North American distributor, we judged it to be the most competitive among the candidates. It’s a work that will resonate with the Academy through its ironic blend of humor and tragedy, which audiences worldwide can relate to.”
The International Feature Film category accepts one submission per country, with films produced outside the United States. This year, Korea submitted “Spring in Seoul.”
“No Other Choice” tells the story of Mansu (played by Lee Byung-hun), a father who loses his job and struggles to find reemployment. The film is based on Donald Westlake’s novel “The Ax.”
The film was also invited to the main competition section of the 82nd Venice International Film Festival and had its world premiere on August 29. With major international media outlets giving it high praise, there is growing speculation that the film may be nominated in key categories at next year’s Academy Awards.
By Park Won-hee
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