Cannes’ Favorites: Park, Na, and Yeon Take Over the Red Carpet!

The prestigious Cannes Film Festival, regarded as one of the most authoritative cinema events in existence, kicked off on the 12th (local time) in Cannes, France. It is a momentous occasion as Korean cinema returns to the competition category after four years. Even more exciting, several directors following in the footsteps of Park Chan-wook, who won the Grand Prix for “Oldboy” in 2004, have been invited to walk the red carpet. To top it off, Director Park has made history as the first Korean filmmaker to serve as the Jury President!

“Cannes Na” and “Cannes Yeon”… Following the Legacy of “Cannes Park”

Cannes highly values long-term relationships. The festival tends to favor directors who consistently submit new works and build up their “mileage” with the event, essentially creating a system that “raises” its own directors. Director Park consistently knocked on Cannes’ door with “Thirst” (2009, Jury Prize) and “Decision to Leave” (2022, Best Screenplay) after “Oldboy,” eventually landing the prestigious Jury President role.

Director Na Hong-jin has finally entered the competition category, where 21 films are battling it out, with his film “Hope.” All four of his previous directorial works have had the honor of screening at Cannes. His debut “The Chaser” (2008) was featured in the Midnight Screenings, “The Yellow Sea” (2010) was invited to Un Certain Regard, and “The Wailing” (2016) appeared in the non-competition section ten years ago. Now, he has reached the competition stage with “Hope.”

Director Yeon Sang-ho is also making his fourth trip to Cannes, this time invited to the Midnight Screenings with “Colony.” His relationship with the festival began in 2012 when the animated film “The King of Pigs” screened in Directors’ Fortnight, followed by “Train to Busan” (2016, Midnight Screenings) and “Peninsula” (2020, Official Selection). Interestingly, “Colony” continues his trend of using zombies as a theme. Director Yeon is already recognized in Cannes as a “master of Korean genre cinema.”

Additionally, Director Jung Ju-ri’s new film “Dora” is participating in Directors’ Fortnight. This marks her third visit, following “Do-hee” (2014) and “Next Sohee” (2023).

A Gathering of Masters… Will Park Chan-wook Bring a Trophy Home for Korea?

Director Na has a steep mountain to climb with “Hope.” He is up against heavyweights like Hirokazu Kore-eda (Japan) and Cristian Mungiu (Romania), both previous Palme d’Or winners, who are returning with “The Sheep in the Box” and “Fjord,” respectively. Iranian master Asghar Farhadi, a two-time Academy Award winner for Best Foreign Language Film, is competing with “Parallel Tale,” and Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar, who has won both an Oscar and the Golden Lion at Venice, is in the running with “Amarga Navidad” (Bitter Christmas). While Almodóvar (born 1949) is the oldest director in the competition, the youngest is the MZ-generation director Lucas Donck (born 1991), aiming for the Palme d’Or with “Coward.”

Fans are curious if Jury President Park Chan-wook might have a soft spot for Korean works. Joining him on the jury are actress Demi Moore, Stellan Skarsgård, director Chloe Zhao, Laura Wandel, and Diego Cespedez. While all jurors’ opinions are reflected, the Jury President’s direction often sets the standard. Some speculate that the connection between Director Park’s and Director Na’s shared interest in exploring the depths of human dilemmas could work in Na’s favor during the judging process.

Speaking to AFP and other outlets, Director Park emphasized, “I believe awards should go to works that will remain for 50 or 100 years.” He added, “External factors such as nationality, genre, or political ideology should be excluded, and films should be evaluated solely on the value of the work itself.”

When asked about the influence of his nationality on the evaluation, he shared, “I feel a sense of emotion that a Korean has inevitably become the Jury President for the first time,” but clarified, “I plan to judge fairly and objectively.”

Meanwhile, Director Bong Joon-ho made a surprise appearance at the opening ceremony. After walking the red carpet, he watched the opening film, “Electric Kiss.”