The festival’s organizing committee announced the selection on April 9 local time. Na has maintained a long relationship with Cannes: his debut feature “The Chaser” was invited to the Midnight Screenings section in 2008; “The Yellow Sea” was selected for Un Certain Regard in 2011, unusually a year after its release; and “The Wailing” screened Out of Competition in 2016.
With “Hope” entering Competition, Na becomes the first Korean director to have all of his feature films invited to Cannes. Competition is the festival’s main section, typically selecting about 20 films from around the world, and this marks Na’s first time in the lineup. The invitation also puts a Korean film back in Competition for the first time in four years, since 2022’s “Decision to Leave” and “Broker.”
Na, whose films have now been invited to Cannes four times in a row, said, “It’s an honor. I’ll work harder in the time remaining.”
“Hope” begins at a police outpost in Hopohang, near the Demilitarized Zone, where chief Beomseok hears reports from local young men that a tiger has appeared, throwing the village into alarm as he confronts an unbelievable reality. It is Na’s first new film in 10 years since “The Wailing.” “Hope” will premiere at Cannes in May and is set for a theatrical release this summer.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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