Director Yeon Sang-ho’s Heartwarming Moment with Director Park Chan-wook at Cannes! [Cannes Interview] ①

On the afternoon of the 16th (local time), Director Yeon Sang-ho held an interview at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes, France, to share stories about his film ‘Swarm’. ‘Swarm’ was invited to the Midnight Screening section of the 79th Cannes Film Festival and met audiences through its official screening at the Grand Théâtre Lumière on the 15th.

‘Swarm’ is a movie where isolated survivors in a building locked down by a mysterious infection outbreak face off against infected beings that evolve in unpredictable forms. A “Cannes regular,” Director Yeon Sang-ho has been invited to the Cannes Film Festival for the fourth time, starting with his first feature animation ‘The King of Pigs’ (2012, Director’s Fortnight), followed by ‘Train to Busan’ (2016, Midnight Screening), and ‘Peninsula’ (2020, Official Selection). Having left a strong impression on the global film industry with genre films that add original twists to the Korean-style zombie genre, Director Yeon Sang-ho has once again shown the power of the father of K-zombies through ‘Swarm’.

Director Yeon Sang-ho revealed, “Once we decided to go to the Cannes Film Festival and the schedule was set, everyone from actress Jun Ji-hyun to actor Koo Kyo-hwan was quite excited. It was fun even while flying over, and it felt like a group of close friends going somewhere great. I told myself not to put too much meaning into coming to the Cannes Film Festival, but once I arrived, I just couldn’t do that.” He added, “Seeing so many people who love movies gathered here made me realize that this is truly the world’s best film festival. I felt that the place was filled with people crazy about cinema, and I was deeply moved that such people were waiting to see our movie.”

Director Yeon said, “Since I had been to the Midnight Screening once for ‘Train to Busan’, I predicted it would be similar. But as I entered the red carpet and saw Director Park Chan-wook in front of me, I thought, ‘Wait, this is an unexpected situation!’ There was a certain strong bond there.”

Jun Ji-hyun, who was by his side, also said, “Just the fact that Director Park Chan-wook recognized me was reassuring, but it was so wonderful that he actually hugged me. It felt even more supportive than I expected.” She added, “I was moved and almost teared up seeing Director Park tell Director Yeon Sang-ho, ‘You’re amazing. Yeon Sang-ho is amazing, you worked hard.'”

To this, Director Yeon Sang-ho jokingly said, “Director Park Chan-wook, I’ll do well,” expressing his gratitude for Park attending the official screening red carpet.

Director Park Chan-wook is serving as the Jury President for this year’s Cannes Film Festival.

Meanwhile, ‘Swarm’, which was first unveiled through the Cannes Film Festival, will be released in Korea on the 21st.