Lee Gyu-lee is a business writer at The Korea Times, focusing primarily on IT & telecommunications, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and KOTRA. Prior to this, she has covered a wide range of cultural news, from film, television and K-pop to lifestyle and fashion.
'Heaven,' 'Peninsula' named among Cannes 2020 Official Selection
Stills from director Im Sang-soo's “Heaven: To the Land of Happiness,” which was listed as a Cannes Film Festival 2020 Official Selection, Wednesday. / Korea Times file
By Lee Gyu-lee
By Lee Gyu-lee
Two South Korean movies ― the drama “Heaven: To the Land of Happiness,” and the horror action “Peninsula” ― have been named on the Cannes Film Festival's 2020 Official Selection list.
Festival director Thierry Fremaux and Cannes president Pierre Lescure named 56 movies, which included the two Korean films, on Wednesday local time.
Directed by Im Sang-soo ― a two-time Palme d'Or competitor ― “Heaven: To the Land of Happiness” revolves around two men ― played by Choi Min-sik and Park Hae-il ― who go on a journey together in pursuit of happiness.
“It's epic, with all sorts of different episodes,” Fremaux said of the film. “It's quite remarkable.”
A still from director Yeon Sang-ho's horror blockbuster “Peninsula.” / Courtesy of NEW
Zombie thriller “Peninsula,” directed by Yeon Sang-ho, continues from the plot of his 2016 film “Train to Busan.” Starring Gang Dong-won and Lee Jung-hyun, the blockbuster follows a man on a mission to escape a zombie-hit land.
The selection announcement came after one of the world's prestigious film festivals called off this year's gathering, slated for May, due to COVID-19. Instead, organizers shared the list of films that “would have played” at the event.
“This time, everyone will be able to give his or her own Palme d'Or,” Fremaux said.