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- Seven Korean Films to screen in Cannes
- May 11, 2005
- Seven Korean films to screen in Cannes This year, seven Korean films have been selected to screen in various sections of the Cannes Film Festival. This marks the highest number of Korean films screened at Cannes ever. In the main competition section, HONG Sang-soo's sixth film Keuk Jang Jeon was included as a late addition, marking the second year in a row that HONG has competed at Cannes after Woman is the Future of Man (2004). Geuk Jang Jeon, starring KIM Sang-kyung, EOM Ji-won, and LEE Ki-woo features two related stories that are connected in some way with a movie theater. Also screening in the Official Selection as a special, out-of-competition screening is A Bittersweet Life by KIM Jee-woon. The film, featuring top star LEE Byung-heon, tells the story of a gangster who is asked by his boss to look after his mistress, and to kill her if she is being unfaithful. As a part of the Official Selection, the director and cast will be able to walk the famous red carpet at the Palais theater. Meanwhile, the 12th film by noted director KIM Ki-duk has been selected as the opening film of the Un Certain Regard sidebar section. The Bow is about a 60-year old man who lives with a 16-year old girl, planning to marry her once she turns 17. This will be director KIM's first trip to Cannes. In the Director's Fortnight section, two Korean films will be screened. RYOO Seung-wan's boxing drama Crying Fist features local stars CHOI Min-shik and RYOO Seung-beom in the story of two men who are struggling to get by in life. The film is distributed and sold internationally by Show East. Meanwhile, IM Sang-soo's The President's Last Bang depicts the assassination of Korean president PARK Chung-hee in 1979. The film was the subject of controversy earlier in the year when the Seoul Central Court ordered that the film remove documentary footage prior to its release. In the Critics Week section, ZHANG Lu's Chinese-Korean co-production Grain in Ear will be presented. Set in rural China, the film tells the story of a Chinese woman of Korean ancestry who sells kimchi to make a living. The movie was made with post-production support from the Korean Film Council. Lastly, the 15-minute film Walk On a Little More byfilm student SHIM Min-young of the Korean National University of Arts will screen in the Cinefondation section. Shot in Digibeta, it tells the story of a woman who leaves Seoul to place her children in the care of her mother-in-law. Also of note is the fact that the classic martial arts film Five Fingers of Death will be screened in the Cannes Classics section. Although this film was made in Hong Kong by the Shaw Brothers studio, it was made by Korean director CHUNG Chang-hwa, who was the focus of a special retrospective at the Pusan International Film Festival in 2003. The Cannes Film Festival will be held this year from May 11-22.
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