76th Cannes film festival to screen 7 Korean films

By Kim Eun-jung

SEOUL, May 16 (Yonhap) -- Seven Korean films by established and up-and-coming directors will be screened at this year's Cannes Film Festival that opens Tuesday in the French Riviera city.

With no Korean films chosen for the competition lineup, five features and two short films were invited to official and parallel sections for the 76th edition, which runs through May 27.

Director Kim Jee-woon's new feature film "Cobweb" will be presented at the Out of Competition section on May 25.

"Cobweb" tells the story of a film director from the 1970s who is obsessed with creating a masterpiece and struggles to shoot the film amid government censorship and uncooperative actors.

Song, who won the best actor award at last year's Cannes, plays the role of the director in the film.

This marks Kim's third invitation to Cannes and Song's eighth. Kim's previous films, "A Bittersweet Life" (2004) and "The Good, the Bad, the Weird" (2008), have also been selected for the noncompetition section.

Director Kim Chang-hoon's debut feature "Hopeless" will be screened at Un Certain Regard, a sidebar section for new horizons and filmmakers, on May 24.

"Hopeless" is a noir film depicting the story of a boy named Yeon-gyu (played by Hong Sa-bin) who wants to escape from the hellish reality he lives in, and his journey into the world of organized crime after meeting Chi-geon (played by Song Joong-ki).

With the film, Song will walk the red carpet at Cannes for the first time in his 15-year acting career.

Auteur Hong Sang-soo's 30th feature, "In Our Day," will close out Directors' Fortnight on May 25, which marks his 12th appearance at Cannes. The section highlights innovative films by emerging directors and more established filmmakers alike.

Director Kim Tae-gon's "Project Silence" will premiere at the Midnight Screenings section Monday. It is an out-of-competition section dedicated to films that have popular appeal and artistic value.

Jason Yu's feature debut titled "Sleep" will be screened at Cannes Critics' Week, which focuses on the first and second films by emerging directors, on Sunday.

In addition, two short films will vie for the La Cinef awards, a competition for students' works.

"The Lee Families" directed by Seo Jeong-mi from the Korea National University of Arts, and "Hole" directed by Hwang Hye-in from the Korean Academy of Film Arts, were included in this year's lineup.

Meanwhile, K-pop girl group BLACKPINK's Jennie will attend red carpet and screening events Monday for her acting debut in the HBO drama "The Idol," which was invited to the Out of Competition section.

ejkim@yna.co.kr
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