The 75th Festival de Cannes, which was held normally in 3 years after the COVID-19 Pandemic, was the scene that showed the potential of Korean films around the world once again. Park Chanwook, Director of Decision to Leave, won the Best Director, and Song Kangho, Actor of Broker, won the Best Actor award, setting a record in Korean film history for winning 2 awards at the Festival de Cannes Competition.

The Festival de Cannes this year was also an opportunity to reopen the door to promoting Korean films, which had been blocked by the COVID-19 Pandemic. In celebration of the first overseas film festival since the COVID-19 Pandemic, we'll spotlight the Korean Film Council (KOFIC, Chairperson Park Kiyong)'s journey at Cannes, which announced 'K-Movie Power' to film industry officials around the world.

At 9 p.m. on May 21 (local time), the 'K-Movie Night' event was held at the beach in Cannes. KMovie Night is an invitation event held by KOFIC to promote Korean films globally during the leading international film festivals at home and abroad. More than 500 filmmakers and cineastes from around the world visited the 'K-Movie Night,' which was held for the first time in 3 years due to the Pandemic, reaffirming the high global attention on Korean films.

Before the main event, KOFIC provided the time to commemorate the late Actor Kang Sooyeon, who passed away suddenly on May 7. More than 500 cineastes who visited the event watched the memorial videos containing the late Actor Kang Sooyeon's representative films and paid silent tribute to the 'World Star' who took the lead in promoting Korean films to the world.

Director Park Chanwook and Actor Tang Wei of Decision to Leave, Director Kore-eda Hirokazu and actors of Broker including Song Kangho, Kang Dongwon, Lee Jieun, Lee Jooyoung, and Bae Doona, who participated in the two films Broker and Next Sohee, also greeted the global cineastes through video messages.

Director Lee Jungjae and Actor Jung Woosung of HUNT, who were invited to Cannes' Midnight Screenings, visited the K-Movie Night to congratulate the event. Actor Jung Woosung livened up the festive mood by saying a toast, "For the sake of Korean films!" Also, other directors and actors participated in the K-Movie Night, including Director Jung July and the staff members of Next Sohee, Director Davy Chou, Actor Oh Kwangrok, and Actor Park Jimin, who starred in Return to Seoul, a film that was supported by KOFIC Location Incentive 2021.

Until nearly midnight, the participants enjoyed the 'taste' and 'style' of Korean culture with cup noodles, soju, and Dalgona candy that appeared in Squid Game. The congratulatory videos from all directors and actors invited to Cannes this year and the video of the K-Movie Night event can be viewed through KOFIC and KoBiz YouTube channels.

Amid the spectacular festival, the global film cooperation between Korean and French film organizations has become more solid. At 2:30 p.m. on May 19, the Korea-France Round Tables event was held by KOFIC with the National Centre for Cinema and the Moving Image (CNC). It is an unusual event for CNC to hold a joint Round Tables event with a foreign film organization during the Cannes Film Festival

"Diversity and interaction are the most important in developing the film industry in a country." KOFIC and CNC's Korea-France Round Tables began with a keynote speech by Chairperson Park Kiyong. He continued, "The positive influence of Korea and France on the film industry around the world is growing. Also, KOFIC and CNC have something in common: we strongly support films and international film festivals. And that makes us have a good influence on each other." Dominique Boutonnat, President of France's CNC, also expressed the importance of film cooperation between the two countries, "I hope that Korea and France will continue to cooperate in the film sector."

Round Tables this time is the second meeting since France selected Korea as a key partner in the film sector in April this year. If Korea actively cooperates for films with France, the hub of the European film industry, it will grab the attention of other countries naturally and expand to another opportunity for international cooperation. Therefore, the Korea-France Round Tables event at Cannes this year can be evaluated as a cornerstone to enhance the global influence of Korean films further.

Under the theme of 'Diversity: Can It Be a Common Goal?' in the 1st session of Round Tables, the panels sought solutions to create an environment to guarantee diversity, such as art films and independent cinemas while discovering young artists, and to collaborate in the film sector in Korea and France. Major panels included Director Jung July of Next Sohee, the closing film of the Cannes' Critics Week, Lee Dongha, CEO of REDPETER Films that made Peninsula, Director Ko Kyungbeom of CJ ENM, Ardavan Safaee, CEO of Path? Films that made CODA, which won the Best Picture at the Academy Awards, Alexis Dantec, CEO of Les Films du Losange that made the French film Vanishing supported by KOFIC Location Incentive 2021, and Charlotte Vincent of Aurora Films that made Return to Seoul, which was also supported by KOFIC's Location Incentive 2021 and has been invited to Cannes' Un Certain Regard this year.

Under the theme of 'Movies for Future Audiences' in the 2nd session, the panels discussed policies and audience development measures to restore the theater industry of the two countries in the long term at a time when the theater industry has stagnated since the COVID-19 Pandemic. Major panels included Hong Jungin, CEO of Megabox, Heo Moonyoung, Chairperson of the BIFF Executive Committee, Kim Jaemin, CEO of Contents Panda, Daniela Elstner of Uni France, Pierre Rasamoela of Orange Studio, and Philippe Borys-Combret of Cineum Cannes, a multiplex theater.

KOFIC and CNC promised to hold another Round Table meeting at the Busan International Film Festival in October this year to strengthen cultural exchanges between Korea and France.

During the 75th Festival de Cannes, KOFIC ran the Korean Film Center for 9 days from May 17 to 25 to promote invited Korean movies. The center was set up at the Village International in the Cannes Marche du Film for meetings and networking of Korean and foreign filmmakers, along with promoting 5 Korean films and 1 film supported by KOFIC's Location Incentive Program.

The center consisted of a gallery zone for the invited films, a trailer video zone, and an interview & meeting zone, and more than 800 Korean and foreign filmmakers visited the center during the market period. Especially, Dalgona candy KOFIC prepared for overseas guests and a photo exhibition to promote Korean actors overseas attracted the visitors' attention. Director Park Chanwook, Actor Tang Wei, and Actor Park Haeil of Decision to Leave, Director Lee Jungjae and Actor Jung Woosung of HUNT, Director Jung July of Next Sohee, and Actor Oh Kwangrok of Return to Seoul visited the center for press conferences and interviews.

The online promotional center for Korean films was also operated at the same time. KOFIC created a special zone for invited films on its online promotional page, providing various information on the films and contact information for the salesperson in charge. It also guided individual pages of Korean film sales companies and provided information on the representative films of each sales company. It also actively supported non-face-to-face sales by connecting links to KoBiz's online Biz-matching platform.

From K-Movie Night to the Korean Film Center, you can check the videos containing KOFIC's vivid activities at the 75th Festival de Cannes 2022 on KOFIC and KoBiz YouTube channels right now. by Park Hyejin