Hong’s 23rd work, and his second of 2018 following the Berlinale-premiered
Grass,
Hotel by the River debuted in competition at the Locarno International Film Festival, where it picked up the Silver Leopard for Best Actor for leading man
KI Joo-bong, who features as an aging poet who asks his grown-up sons to meet him at a hotel. The film also stars Hong’s frequent collaborator
KIM Min-hee.
Finecut sold the film to The Cinema Guild (United States), Time-In-Portrait Entertainment (China), AV Jet International (Taiwan) and Les Acacias (France). The indie drama is currently on a busy festival schedule, which has included recent stops at the New York Film Festival, AFI Fest and the Sao Paolo International Film Festival.
From
Countdown (2011) director
HUH Jong-ho, Korea’s first period monster movie
Monstrum was picked up by Inter Film in Japan. The film recently picked up the Audience Award from the Panorama Fantastic section at the Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia.
The debut of director
PARK Jin-young,
Too Hot to Die focuses on a suicide pact that is upturned by the appearance of a woman. The black comedy has sold to Clover Films for Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong, as well as Apex Success Global in Taiwan.