'Daum Sohee' Cannes Critics' Week Closing Film... Heo Munyoung Jury (Summary)

"Director Jeong Juri, Show Greater Growth with a Powerful Film" Praised
Heo Munyoung Appointed as Jury Member for Critics' Week at Busan Film Festival

Director Jung Joo-ri's film Next Sohee has been selected as the closing film for the Critics' Week at the Cannes International Film Festival. On the 20th (local time), the Cannes Film Festival Executive Committee announced the invitation, praising, "Director Jung Joo-ri shows even greater growth with a very powerful film." This marks Jung's second entry into the Cannes Film Festival. Her 2014 debut film Dohee-ya was featured in the Un Certain Regard section. Eight years later, Next Sohee depicts the events experienced by Sohee, a high school girl who goes on-site training at a call center. The story deepens its thematic concerns by adding the narrative of Yujin, a female detective who questions Sohee's footsteps. The lead roles are played by Bae Doo-na and Kim Si-eun.

Critics' Week is a section curated by critics from the French Critics Association, showcasing films that are fresh and artistically valuable. The award is given to a director's first or second work. Since 1962, about ten films are selected annually. This is the eighth time a Korean feature film has been introduced. Previous films that followed this path include Glass by Yang Yoon-ho, Christmas in August by Hur Jin-ho, Happy End by Jung Ji-woo, Death Bell by Park Jin-pyo, Crosscurrent by Jang Yool, The Attorney by Jang Cheol-soo, and Chinatown by Han Joon-hee. Next Sohee is the first to receive the honor of being the closing film.

Director Jung said, "I am grateful to present a film that was shot last winter with the staff and actors united in spirit on a brilliant spring day," adding, "I want to confidently introduce these gem-like actors to audiences worldwide." Bae Doo-na said, "This is a film that can resonate with the world," and expressed, "I am extremely happy that the first step out into the world is at such an honorable occasion."

The jury includes Heo Moon-young, Executive Director of the Busan International Film Festival, who was named on the Critics' Week jury list that day. The jury will select the award-winning films alongside actors Ariane Labed (Greece) from The Lobster and Assassin's Creed, director Benedikt Erlingsson (Iceland) of Woman at War, and cinematographer Beno?t Debie (Belgium) of Lost River and Love. The jury president is director Kautar Ben Hania (Tunisia), who directed The Man Who Sold His Skin. The only Korean film to have received a trophy in this section is Crosscurrent (French Independent Film Distributors Association Award). The Cannes Film Festival will be held from the 17th to the 28th of next month in the southern French resort city of Cannes.

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