At 1 AM local time on the 16th, the official screening of ‘Swarm’, invited to the Midnight Screening of the 79th Cannes Film Festival, took place at the Grand Théâtre Lumière in Cannes, France. Director Yeon Sang-ho attended the event along with actors Jun Ji-hyun, Koo Kyo-hwan, Ji Chang-wook, Shin Hyun-bin, and Kim Shin-rok.
Although ‘Swarm’ started about 30 minutes later than scheduled due to a delay in a previous screening, the excitement remained high. Audiences from all over the world filled the seats despite the late hour, and cheers and camera flashes erupted as the ‘Swarm’ team walked the red carpet and entered the theater.
Unveiled as a world premiere, ‘Swarm’ tells the story of isolated survivors trapped in a building sealed off due to a mysterious infection, fighting against infected beings that evolve in unpredictable ways.
Director Yeon, who previously expanded the K-zombie genre with ‘Train to Busan’ and ‘Peninsula’, successfully built an even more intense post-apocalyptic world in ‘Swarm’. Specifically, under the fresh premise of “evolving zombies,” he maximized the genre’s tension by relentlessly exploring human fear, survival instincts, and the desires and cracks that emerge within a group.
As the ending credits rolled, the audience gave a standing ovation for about 7 minutes. Exclamations of “Amazing!” could be heard from all over, and the actors and staff stood up to respond to the cheers.
Director Yeon shared his thoughts, saying, “It is such an honor to present ‘Swarm’ at the Cannes Film Festival, which I’ve always dreamed of. The support I’ve received will be a memory that stays with me for a very long time in my filmmaking career.” He then expressed his gratitude in French, saying, “Merci beaucoup” (Thank you very much).
Jun Ji-hyun patted Director Yeon on the shoulder with a bright smile, while lead actors Koo Kyo-hwan, Ji Chang-wook, Shin Hyun-bin, and Kim Shin-rok also exchanged congratulations and enjoyed the night in Cannes together.
Meanwhile, the ‘Swarm’ team is scheduled to continue their official festival activities, including interviews with domestic and international media, this afternoon.
