Korea-France Round Tables and K-Movie Night Finished with a Huge Success

The 75th Cannes Film Festival, which is held normally in 3 years due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, confirmed the ‘high status of K-Movie’ in and out of the theater. A total of 5 Korean films, including competition and non-competition sections, have been invited to the festival. Among the 21 films nominated for the competition category at the Cannes Film Festival this year, 2 Korean films have been invited, including Decision to Leave (directed by Park Chanwook) and Broker (directed by Koreeda Hirokazu). Both Director Park Chanwook and Director Koreeda Hirokazu are film masters who have deep relationships with Cannes. 

Also, a total of 5 Korean films have been invited to Cannes, including HUNT (directed by Lee Jungjae) in Cannes’ Midnight Screenings, Next Sohee (directed by Jung July) as the closing film in Cannes’ Critics Week, and Persona (directed by Moon Sujin), the first Korean short animation invited to the Cannes’ Short Film in Competition. In addition, as a KOFIC Location Incentive 2021, the French film Return to Seoul (directed by Davy Chou), where Korean actors and beautiful Seoul are the main characters, has been invited to the Un Certain Regard, receiving Cannes’ spotlight. 

Among the Korean films mentioned above, the first movie that heated the Cannes’ red carpet was HUNT directed by Lee Jungjae. At midnight on May 20 (local time), invited to the Midnight Screenings, HUNT was released as World Premiere at the GRAND THEATRE LUMIERE in Cannes. The film received cheers and applause from more than 3,000 audiences who filled the theater. It was the moment when the fireworks of Korean movies were launched in full swing in Cannes.

‘K-Movie’ is also hot outside the theater. Korean films can be seen throughout the Palais des Festival, the center of Cannes. Screen Daily, which publishes special editions during the festival, chose Decision to Leave for its cover on the first and second days of the festival in a row. HUNT and Broker also covered the special edition of Cannes soon after. On the Boulevard de la Croisette, large signs of Decision to Leave and Broker have been installed, and large banners of the two films are also hanging at Le Majestic Cannes downtown, capturing eyes. 

KOFIC Co-hosted Korea-France Round Tables with CNC

Amid the spectacular festival, the global film cooperation between Korean and French film organizations has become more solid. At 2:30 p.m. on May 19 (local time), the Korea-France Round Tables event was held by the Korean Film Council (KOFIC, Chairperson Park Kiyong) with the National Centre for Cinema and the Moving Image (CNC). It is an unusual event for CNC to hold a joint Round Tables event with a foreign film organization during the Cannes Film Festival. 

"Diversity and interaction are the most important in developing the film industry in a country.” KOFIC and CNC's Korea-France Round Tables began with a keynote speech by Chairperson Park Kiyong. He continued, "The positive influence of Korea and France on the film industry around the world is growing. Also, KOFIC and CNC have something in common that we strongly support our films and hold global film festivals so we can exchange good influences.” Dominique Boutonnat, President of France’s CNC, also expressed the importance of film cooperation between the two countries, "I hope that Korea and France will continue to cooperate in the film sector." 

Chairperson Park Kiyong was the director of the Korean Academy of Film Arts for 9 years from 2001 and actively conducted the student exchange program with La Fémis, the French National Film School. With the Round Tables event as momentum and feeling the need to exchange young filmmakers between the two countries at the time, Chairperson Park proposed to resume the student exchange program between KAFA and CNC, which has been suspended, and CNC also agreed to it enthusiastically. 

Round Tables this time is the second meeting since France selected Korea as a key partner in the film sector in April. If Korea actively cooperates for films with France, the hub of the European film industry, it will grab the attention of other countries naturally and expand to another opportunity for international cooperation. Therefore, the Korea-France Round Tables event at Cannes this year can be evaluated as a cornerstone to enhance the global influence of Korean films further. 

Under the theme of ‘Diversity: Can It Be a Common Goal?’ in the 1st session of Round Tables, the panels sought solutions to create an environment to guarantee diversity, such as art films and independent cinemas while discovering young artists, and to collaborate in the film sector in Korea and France. Major panels included Director Jung July of Next Sohee, the closing film of the Cannes’ Critics Week, Lee Dongha, CEO of REDPETER Films that made Peninsula, Director Ko Kyungbeom of CJ ENM, Ardavan Safaee, CEO of Pathé Films that made CODA, which won the Best Picture at the Academy Awards, Alexis Dantec, CEO of Les Films du Losange that made the French film Vanishing supported by KOFIC Location Incentive 2021, and Charlotte Vincent of Aurora Films that made Return to Seoul, which has been invited to Cannes’ Un Certain Regard this year.

Under the theme of ‘Movies for Future Audiences’ in the 2nd session, the panels discussed policies and audience development measures to restore the theater industry of the two countries in the long term at a time when the theater industry has stagnated since the COVID-19 Pandemic. Major panels included Hong Jungin, CEO of Megabox, Heo Moonyoung, Chairperson of the BIFF Executive Committee, Kim Jaemin, CEO of Contents Panda, Daniela Elstner of Uni France, Pierre Rasamoela of Orange Studio, and Philippe Borys-Combret of Cineum Cannes, a multiplex theater. 

After the 3-hour Roundtable event, the cineastes of Korea and France continued a networking party at KOFIC's Korean Film Promotion Terrace. In addition, they promised to hold KOFIC and CNC’s Roundtable event again at the Busan International Film Festival in October this year to strengthen cultural exchanges between Korea and France. 

K-Movie Night, Held at Cannes in 3 Years ‘For the Sake of Korean Films’

At 9 p.m. on May 21 (local time), the ‘K-Movie Night’ event was held at the beach in Cannes. K-Movie Night is an invitation event held by the Korean Film Council to promote Korean films globally during the leading international film festivals at home and abroad. More than 500 filmmakers and cineastes from around the world visited the ‘K-Movie Night,’ which was held for the first time in 3 years due to the Pandemic, reaffirming the high global attention on Korean films. 

Before the main event, KOFIC provided the time to commemorate the late Actor Kang Sooyeon, who passed away suddenly on May 7. More than 500 cineastes who visited the event watched the memorial videos containing the late Actor Kang Sooyeon's representative films and paid silent tribute to the ‘World Star’ who took the lead in promoting Korean films to the world. 

At the main event, Dominique Boutonnat, President of France's CNC, took the stage and congratulated, "I'm truly happy to be able to participate in the K-Movie Night. France really loves Korean films.” 

Director Park Chanwook and Actor Tang Wei of Decision to Leave, Director Koreeda Hirokazu and actors of Broker including Song Kangho, Kang Dongwon, Lee Jieun, Lee Jooyoung, and Bae Doona, who participated in the two films Broker and Next Sohee, also greeted the global cineastes through video messages. 

Director Lee Jungjae and Actor Jung Woosung of HUNT, who were invited to Cannes’ Midnight Screenings, visited the K-Movie Night to congratulate the event. Actor Jung Woosung livened up the festive mood by saying a toast, "For the sake of Korean films!" Also, other directors and actors participated in the K-Movie Night, including Director Jung July and the staff members of Next Sohee, Director Davy Chou, Actor Oh Kwangrok, and Actor Park Jimin, who starred in Return to Seoul, a KOFIC Location Incentive 2021. 

The ‘K-Movie Night’ event at Cannes, where the sound of waves could be heard, became more and more heated as it approached midnight. The most popular menus for the participants on the day were Korean pot noodles and soju. A French movie star happily said, "The hot pot noodle soup tastes even better in the chilly sea breeze." Just in time, BTS' song ‘DNA’ filled the venue. It was literally the ‘K-Movie Night’ with the ‘tastes’ and ‘charms’ of Korean culture. 

The 75th Cannes International Film Festival, which has already spent the 6th night, will continue until May 28. Decision to Leave, one of the nominees of the Competition will be released at 6 p.m. on May 23 (local time), while Broker at 7 p.m. on May 26  (local time) as World Premier.