Will Cinema Status Be Rebuilt... Cannes Film Festival Fully Resumes After 3 Years

Transformation and Leap... Excluding Netflix Films, Embracing TikTok
Twenty-One Films Join Competition, Including 'Broker' and 'Decision to Leave'

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

The Cannes International Film Festival, renowned as the world's most prestigious, will be held fully for the first time in three years. Starting with the screening of the opening film (Final Cut) at the Lumi?re Grand Theatre on the 17th (local time), the festival will embark on its ten-day journey. The past two events were canceled or postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The festival is committed to restoring its reputation through a multifaceted approach. This includes rebuilding the status of cinema itself by excluding works from online streaming services (OTT) to support movie theaters.

▲The Invisible Struggle

This year, Cannes did not invite Netflix films. The strict rule that all invited films must be released in theaters was firmly applied. France has an unusually long holdback period (the time it takes for content's secondary rights to transfer from one platform to another). Films must be screened in theaters for 15 months before they can be streamed on OTT or applications. Netflix, which prioritizes the latter, had to hesitate in submitting films like 'Blonde,' which depicts the life of Marilyn Monroe. Cannes seems to have little to regret, as many films that hesitated to premiere during the pandemic were submitted all at once this year. It is also hard to say the festival is ignoring the dynamic flow of the film market. Partnering with social media platform TikTok, it broadcasts various videos such as red carpet events and interviews. Additionally, a short film festival is held, inviting submissions of videos under three minutes for judging. This can be seen as a strategy to attract younger audiences.

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

▲The Direction of the Palme d'Or

Twenty-one films have joined the competition section. Works by many prominent directors are featured. These include James Gray's 'Armageddon Time,' Lukas Dhont's 'Close,' David Cronenberg's 'Crimes of the Future,' Jerzy Skolimowski's 'EO,' Arnaud Desplechin's 'Brother and Sister,' Ali Abbasi's 'Holy Spider,' Felix van Groeningen and Charlotte Vandermeersch's 'The Eight Mountains,' Saeed Roustaee's 'Leila's Brothers,' Valeria Bruni Tedeschi's 'Forever Young,' Mario Martone's 'Nostalgia,' Albert Serra's 'Pacifiction,' Cristian Mungiu's 'R.M.N.,' Kelly Reichardt's 'Showing Up,' Claire Denis's 'Stars at Noon,' the Dardenne brothers' (Jean-Pierre and Luc) 'Tori and Lokita,' Ruben ?stlund's 'Triangle of Sadness,' Leonor Serraille's 'Mother and Son,' Tarik Saleh's 'Boy from Heaven,' and Kirill Serebrennikov's 'Tchaikovsky's Wife.' Korean films include Park Chan-wook's 'Decision to Leave' and Hirokazu Kore-eda's 'Broker.' It is the first time in five years that two Korean films have simultaneously joined the competition section since Bong Joon-ho's 'Okja' and Hong Sang-soo's 'The Day After' in 2017. Major international film media such as The Hollywood Reporter highlight 'Decision to Leave,' 'Stars at Noon,' 'Armageddon Time,' and 'Showing Up' as films to watch. The jury president is French actor Vincent Lindon, who starred in last year's Palme d'Or winner 'Titane.' Alongside actors Rebecca Hall (UK/USA), Deepika Padukone (India), Noomi Rapace (Sweden), Jasmine Trinca (Italy), and directors Asghar Farhadi (Iran), Red Li (France), Jeff Nichols (USA), and Joachim Trier (Norway), he will decide the award winners. He stated, "I will carefully cherish and examine the films of the future that embrace courage and freedom."

▲The Status of Korean Films

Director Park Chan-wook joins the competition section for the fourth time with 'Decision to Leave.' His previous entries include 'Oldboy' (2004), which won the Jury Prize, and 'Thirst' (2009) and 'The Handmaiden' (2016), both awarded the Jury Prize. 'Decision to Leave' tells the story of a detective investigating a death case who becomes emotionally involved with the deceased's wife. Park Hae-il and Tang Wei starred. 'Broker' was directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda, who won the Palme d'Or in 2018 with 'Shoplifters.' Although a Japanese director helmed the film, it is a Korean film produced by the Korean company Zip Cinema, starring Korean actors Song Kang-ho, Gang Dong-won, Lee Ji-eun, Bae Doona, and Lee Joo-young. It depicts the unexpected journey of people connected through a baby box. Song Kang-ho, who served as a jury member in the competition section last year, is attending Cannes for the seventh time. The two films will have their world premieres at the Lumi?re Grand Theatre on the 23rd and 26th, respectively.

Actor Lee Jung-jae's directorial debut, 'Hunt,' was invited to the Midnight Screening section and will be shown at midnight on the 20th. It is a spy thriller depicting the struggles of two National Intelligence Service agents tracking down North Korean spies. Lee Jung-jae and Jung Woo-sung, who last worked together about 20 years ago in 'No Blood No Tears' (1999), have generated high expectations even before production. Director Jung Joo-ri's 'Next Sohee' will be screened as the closing film of the Critics' Week. The drama focuses on high school student Sohee, who goes to a call center for field training, and a female detective who questions her trail. Bae Doona and Kim Si-eun starred. Director Jung was previously invited to the Un Certain Regard section in 2014 with 'Dobieya.' Huh Moon-young, executive director of the Busan International Film Festival, is participating as a juror. Director Moon Su-jin's animation 'Callus' is competing in the short film competition section. The French film 'All the People I'll Never Be,' featuring Korean actors Kim Sun-young, Oh Kwang-rok, and Park Ji-min, will be screened in the Un Certain Regard section. Directed by Cambodian-French director Daye Chu, the film depicts the journey of a 20-something woman adopted to France who returns to South Korea to find her biological parents.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.