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| From left, actors Song Kang-ho, Lee Byung-hun, Jeon Do-yeon, Kim Nam-gil and Im Si-wan attend a press conference for the film, "Emergency Declaration," at Westin Chosun Seoul hotel in central Seoul, Monday. Yonhap |
By Kwak Yeon-soo
"Emergency Declaration," which premiered out of competition at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival, is finally set to land in theaters in August and the cast promised the film will not disappoint.
The disaster film stars Lee Byung-hun as a man trapped in an airplane with his daughter while a terrorist threatens to release a deadly virus. As tensions rise onboard the plane, the government launches an operation to protect the passengers.
Song Kang-ho, who won the Best Actor award at this year's Cannes for "Broker," plays a detective who tries to stop the attack, while Jeon Do-yeon stars as the transport minister who discovers what the virus is and fears what might happen when the plane lands.
Director Han Jae-rim explained that he came up with the concept of a terrorist threat against a plane 10 years ago.
"There was a production company that proposed this project to me about 10 years ago, but I didn't know how to implement my ideas. So I went on another project, but couldn't forget about this project because I have aerophobia. After witnessing small and big tragedies in society, I finally had something to talk about with the film," he said during a press conference for the film at Westin Chosun Seoul hotel in central Seoul, Monday.
Although the film includes impressive visual effects, suspense, action spectacles and thrills, Han gives a realistic depiction of how every human on the plane reacts differently when put in danger, confronting the virus and the terrorist attack.
"When I read the script, it was interesting because it was so realistic. I thought that you could be completely immersed in the movie and that would be the biggest strength of the project," Lee said.
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| Actress Jeon Do-yeon in a scene from the film "Emergency Declaration" / Courtesy of Showbox |
The director shot the film almost like a documentary, preferring handheld cameras that get close to the action and the performances.
"The airplane was made in Hollywood, but other visual aspects like its interior design was done in Korea. We had a circular gimbal that allowed us to have a real set that could rotate 360 degrees. The cinematographer literally tied himself to a pillar to shoot the film. My biggest concern was about the safety of the cast and crew," he said.
When asked about scenes that may seem overly emotional, which are referred to as "sinpa" in Korean, as the film's core message is about humans coming together in the darkest times, Song said the picture will naturally draw audiences into the feelings of the characters.
"It's definitely 'sinpa' if a film forces audiences to feel sad. But if they are moved by a certain scene or a character's line, that would be sympathy," director Han said.
Jeon said she is confident that "Emergency Declaration" will draw more than 10 million moviegoers as it boasts a star-studded cast and a gripping plot.
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