Korean films make splash at Cannes Film Festival

Director Park Chan-wook, left, talks to reporters, with actor Song Kang-ho, right, after they won the Best Director and Best Actor awards for "Decision to Leave" and "Broker," respectively, at the 75th annual Cannes Film Festival, in Cannes, France, Saturday (local time). Yonhap

Song Kang-ho named Best Actor; Park Chan-wook wins Best Director

By Kwak Yeon-soo

Korean films have set a record by taking two awards this year at the Cannes Film Festival.

Song Kang-ho became the first Korean male actor to win the Best Actor award for his role in "Broker," Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda's Korean debut with an all-Korean cast and dialogue.

Earlier in 2007, actress Jeon Do-yeon won the Best Actress award for her performance in "Secret Sunshine," in which Song also starred.

Song has also become the third Asian actor to win the award at Cannes, following Hong Kong's Leung Chiu Wai for "In the Mood for Love" in 2000 and Japan's Yuya Yagira for "Nobody Knows" in 2004.

"It's an honor. I attribute this good result to people who paid attention to Korean cinema's diversity and supported it," Song said in a press conference after the award ceremony.

From left, director Hirokazu Kore-eda and cast members Song Kang-ho, Lee Ji-eun, Lee Joo-young and Gang Dong-won depart the Festival Palace after the screening of "Broker" during the 75th annual Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, May 26. EPA-Yonhap

"Broker," which looks at Korea's "baby box" system, a place for people to abandon their unwanted babies anonymously, features an all-star cast, including actors Song, Gang Dong-won, Bae Doona and K-pop sensation Lee Ji-eun.

The film received a divided reaction among foreign media and critics. U.S. media Deadline reported that Kore-eda, winner of the Palme d'Or in 2018 for "Shoplifters," "walks a fine line between keen social observation and overt sentimental emotionalism," while The Telegraph wrote "this may be the Cannes competition's biggest disappointment."

Despite such mixed responses, it got a 12-minute ovation after its world premiere on May 26, and Kore-eda told reporters that the audience's reactions were so good that he was able to enjoy the screening fully until the very end. It has also been sold to 171 countries, including the U.S., France, Japan, Germany and Italy.

Director Park Chan-wook, center, and actors Tang Wei, left, and Park Hae-il attend the photo call for "Decision to Leave" during the 75th annual Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, May 24. EPA-Yonhap

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Park Chan-wook, a director who has frequently been nominated for and swept numerous awards at various international film festivals, was named Best Director this time for his detective mystery, "Decision to Leave."

He is the second Korean director to clinch the honor at Cannes, following Im Kwon-taek for "Chihwaseon" (2002).

"Decision to Leave" was Park's fourth film to compete for the Palme d'Or, following thriller "Oldboy" in 2004 for which he won the Grand Prix, "Thirst" in 2009 for which he won the Jury Prize, and "The Handmaiden" in 2016.

An award win had been anticipated for "Decision to Leave" ― which is about a detective drawn to a mysterious widow during a murder investigation in the mountainous countryside ― ever since premiering on May 23 to favorable reviews in foreign media, raking up scores of 89 percent on Metacritic and 90 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.

British daily The Guardian gave the film five stars out of five in a review, calling it "very Hitchcockian." U.S. entertainment outlet Variety praised it by saying it is "a masterful, dazzling love story wrapped in a mischievous murder mystery." Screen Daily wrote "Park Chan-wook raises the bar on the 2022 Cannes competition programme and reasserts his position as a peerless visual stylist."

The film has been sold to 192 countries and territories, including France, North America, the U.K., Turkey, India and Japan. CJ Entertainment announced the film has been its most successful title of all time in terms of sales value. It was chosen to be shown to 2022 Camera d'Or contenders. "It truly is an honor, and I think that it can be seen as a sign that our film is well-received by Cannes audiences," said Chinese actress Tang Wei who starred in the film.

Attention to Korean films continues

Actor-director Lee Jung-jae poses at the photo call for the film "Hunt," during the 75th annual Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, May 19. AP-Yonhap

Korean films receiving awards and praise at Cannes is the latest in the global wave of enthusiasm for Korean culture, from Bong Joon-ho's Palme d'Or-winning "Parasite" to Netflix's "Squid Game."

This May, Korea had four feature movies selected for Cannes: "Decision to Leave," "Broker," "Hunt" and Cannes returnee Jung July's introspective drama "Next Sohee." In addition, director Moon Soo-jin's six-minute short "Persona" became the first Korean animated film to be invited to the festival.

One noticeable feature of the Korean movies selected this year was the international co-production and cultural mixing among directors, casts and crews, such as Chinese actor Tang starring in "Decision to Leave," and Japanese director Kore-eda collaborating with the Korean all-star cast for "Broker." Korean actors Oh Kwang-rok and Park Ji-min appearing in "Return to Seoul," a French-German-Belgian co-production, is also such an example.

The Korean Film Council hosted "Korean Film Night" on May 21 to celebrate the Korean films invited to the festival and promote exchanges between Korean and international film professionals. About 500 guests attended the event. Dominique Boutonnat, the president of France's national cinema agency CNC, said, "France really loves Korean films."

"Hunt," the feature film directorial debut of "Squid Game" star Lee Jung-jae which tells the story of two Korean secret agents who compete with each other, has earned rave reviews after premiering in Cannes' Midnight Screening. It was a success at Cannes with a seven-minute standing ovation. Screen Daily described the film's action sequences "overwhelming and kinetic," adding that audiences "may not want it to end."

"It feels like a golden age for Korean productions, and that's just the beginning," Lee told reporters at Cannes. Lee, who won the Best Leading Actor award at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, was a contender for the Camera d'Or, the prize for a first or second feature film.