Abundance of Korean talent heading to Cannes
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Bong Joon-ho’s “Okja” bows in Cannes and will be available worldwide on Netflix on June 28. / Courtesy of Netflix
By Jason Bechervaise
Korea has once again demonstrated the strength of its local film industry, with no less than four Korean films heading to the Croisette for the Cannes Film Festival, which kicks off on May 17. This is by no means a small feat. It is the most represented country in Asia in terms of the main selection.
Hong Sang-soo has two films, “The Day After” in competition, and “Claire’s Camera” which has secured a special screening. In the midnight screening section, two genre films have been selected: Byun Sung-hyun’s “The Merciless” and Jung Byung-gil’s “The Villainess.”
Bong Joon-ho’s “Okja” is also bowing in competition, but technically it is a U.S. film. Although helmed by a Korean director featuring Korean and English dialogue shot in Korea and North America, it is fully financed by the streaming giant Netflix. This is different to that of “Snowpiercer” that was funded by a Korean studio.
But regardless of the technicalities, there will be an abundance of Korean talent in Cannes this year gracing the glitzy red carpet fashioned in tuxedos and dazzling dresses.
While glamor is synonymous with Cannes, so is cinema and auteurs and it is no coincidence the festival has invited the latest works from two revered Korean filmmakers.
Both Hong and Bong are admired on the festival circuit, not least in Cannes. Hong’s “On the Beach at Night Alone” premiered in Berlin in February while his last film in the Cannes competition was in 2012 with “In Another Country.”
“The Day After” starring Kwon Hae-hyo and Kim Min-hee about the owner of a book publisher and his relationship with one of his colleagues will mark the fourth time Hong has secured a competition invitation making him somewhat of a Cannes fixture.
Given that Kim won the Best Actress award in Berlin, there is much anticipation whether either Hong or members of his cast can bag an award in Cannes, especially with Korean director Park Chan-wook on the jury.
Kim also stars in “Claire’s Camera” alongside French actress Isabelle Huppert set in Cannes about a woman who works for a film company and is fired for being dishonest while on a business trip.
For Bong, this is his third feature in the Cannes lineup and first time in competition, which many would argue is long overdue given how well his films are received with audiences, critics and the industry as a whole.
“Okja” about a girl who goes up against a multinational corporation to prevent them from kidnapping her best friend, a giant animal called Okja, features a mix of local and international talent: Ahn Seo-hyun, Tilda Swinton, Byun Hee-bong, Jake Gyllenhaal and Paul Dano, among other high-profile figures.
The film has already generated headlines in the film trade press owing to opposition from French exhibitors over “Okja” and another Netflix title “The Meyerowitz Stories” screening in competition because they are not guaranteed a release in France.
If any of these films, therefore, were to win an award at Cannes, it remains to be seen how the exhibitors would react, not least given “Okja” will be available to stream online from June 28 globally (June 29 in Korea). It will also be released theatrically in Korea the same day.
Also hitting screens in June in Korea is the thriller “The Villainess,” which is premiering in the same strand as “Train to Busan” did last year before it went on to accumulate more than $100 million in global box office receipts.
Starring Kim Ok-bin who attended Cannes in 2009 for Park Chan-wook’s “Thirst,” she plays a merciless assassin who seeks revenge on two men responsible for her husband’s death. She stars alongside Shin Ha-gyun who is also featured in “Thirst.”
Directed by Jung Byung-gil, whose “Confessions of Murder” (2012) was praised for its kinetic action sequences, it will be Jung’s first time at the world’s most prestigious film festival. The film will be released in Korea on June 8.
Also finding crucial festival exposure is Byun Sung-hyun’s crime noir thriller “The Merciless,” which has already been presold to 85 territories underscoring how a Cannes festival invitation can drive international sales.
The film depicts the relationship between a gang leader played by Sol Kyung-gu and an undercover cop (Im Si-wan) masquerading as a young criminal. They meet in prison, but once they are released they work together to smuggle drugs while a covert operation to bring down the drug ring is taking place.
“The Merciless” is the only Korean film this year to have premiered in Korea ahead of its screening in Cannes, as it is being released locally on May 17.
Those behind the film will no doubt hope it can replicate the success of last year’s “The Wailing,” “Train to Busan” and “The Handmaiden,” which were able to benefit from Cannes exposure, not just on the international stage, but also locally. Much like Bong Joon-ho’s “The Host” (2006) and Kim Jee-woon’s “The Good, The Bad and The Weird” (2007) the Cannes media attention helped fuel interest among audiences.
The Cannes Film Festival takes place May 17 to 28.
J. Bechervaise is a movie columnist for The Korea Times. He can be reached at