With the Cannes International Film Festival — one of the world's three major film festivals — just a month away, attention is focused on whether Korean feature films will receive invitations this year. Last year marked the first time in 12 years that no Korean feature was selected for either the competition or non-competition sections. The only Korean work invited was director Jung Yu-mi's short animation "Glasses," which screened at Critics' Week.
According to industry sources on Saturday, new works by directors who have previously attended Cannes — including Yeon Sang-ho, Na Hong-jin and Jung Joo-ri — are considered strong candidates for selection. Director Yeon has two films in contention, "Gunche" and "Paradise Lost," while Na Hong-jin's large-scale project "Hope" is also widely seen as having a high chance of being invited.
Cannes will hold a press conference on April 9 to announce the official selection for the 79th edition of the festival, which opens next month. The official sections include the Competition, Out of Competition and Un Certain Regard, which spotlights emerging trends. Director Park Chan-wook will serve as the Competition jury president — a first for a Korean filmmaker.
Yeon Sang-ho, who has deep ties to Cannes, will unveil both "Gunche" and "Paradise Lost" this year.
