Director Yeon Sang-ho is beaming with joy after receiving a 7-minute standing ovation for his latest film, ‘Gun-che’.
On May 16 at 1 AM (local time), Director Yeon Sang-ho’s new work ‘Gun-che’ finally unveiled itself at the Midnight Screening of the 79th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France.
‘Gun-che’ tells the story of isolated survivors fighting against infected individuals who evolve in unpredictable ways inside a building locked down due to a mysterious infection. It is a zombie flick in the style of Director Yeon Sang-ho, following in the footsteps of ‘Train to Busan’ and ‘Peninsula’.
This marks the fourth time Director Yeon Sang-ho has been invited to Cannes, following his first animated feature ‘The King of Pigs’, ‘Train to Busan’, and ‘Peninsula’.
Notably, this is his first invitation to the Cannes Film Festival in 10 years since ‘Train to Busan’ received a 10-minute standing ovation at the Midnight Screening in 2016.
With the first and second-floor seats completely filled, ‘Gun-che’ received about 7 minutes of standing ovations and passionate cheers after the screening. Director Yeon Sang-ho, who enjoyed the enthusiastic response while hugging actors Jun Ji-hyun and Koo Kyo-hwan, expressed his gratitude by waving to the audience.
Showing his excitement with clenched fists, Director Yeon Sang-ho met with Xports News immediately after the standing ovation to share his feelings about returning to Cannes after a decade.
With a bright smile, Director Yeon said, “They welcomed me so enthusiastically. I had such a great time coming here with the actors, and the warm welcome makes me so happy. A dream is coming true.”
He added, “It’s so moving to come back to Cannes after 10 years. It made me think, ‘I guess this is why they say Cannes, Cannes’.”
Finally, when told that audience members imitated zombie movements after the screening of ‘Gun-che’, Director Yeon expressed his love for zombies, lamenting that he didn’t see it himself, saying, “Ah, that’s the sight I wanted to see the most.”
Even while walking, Director Yeon Sang-ho was constantly asked for photos by fans of various nationalities. Proving his massive popularity, he smiled and enjoyed the night in Cannes while responding to the flood of selfie requests.
Meanwhile, ‘Gun-che’ will be released in Korea on the 21st.
