Na Hong-jin's sci-fi thriller 'Hope' eyes win at Cannes

By Lee Minji SEOUL, May 12 (Yonhap) -- Director Na Hong-jin's sci-fi thriller film "Hope" will vie for the top honor at this year's Cannes Film Festival set to begin Tuesday, alongside 21 other titles invited to the competition section of the 79th edition of the prestigious film awards. "Hope" is the first Korean film in four years to compete for the Palme d'Or since renowned director Park Chan-wook's "Decision to Leave" and "Broker" by award-winning Japanese auteur Hirokazu Kore-eda, produced by Korean companies and starring Korean actors, were both invited for competition in 2022. The blockbuster portrays the sudden appearance of mysterious entities in a small coastal town near the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone, with Hwang Jung-min playing a local police chief and Zo In-sung appearing as a villager. The movie's star-studded cast also includes "Squid Game" star Jung Ho-yeon and Hollywood actors Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander and Taylor Russell. "Hope" is set to have its global premiere in Cannes on Sunday, with Na and the cast expected to attend a red carpet event during the festival set to run through May 23 in the southern French resort city. A poster for Na Hong-jin's "Hope" is seen in this image provided by Plus M Entertainment and Forged Films. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) The sci-fi film is the director's fourth feature work that has been invited to Cannes. His feature debut, "The Chaser," was screened in the Midnight Screenings section in 2008, followed by "The Yellow Sea" in Un Certain Regard in 2011. "The Wailing" was also invited to the festival's noncompetition section in 2016. It remains to be seen whether "Hope" will score another win for Korean cinema since "Decision to Leave" won best director and actor Song Kang-ho received best actor for his performance in "Broker" in 2022 in a historic milestone. Park Chan-wook will return to Cannes this year as jury president, the first Korean to assume the role. Director Yeon Sang-ho's zombie thriller "Colony," featuring actors Jun Ji-hyun, Ji Chang-wook and Koo Kyo-hwan, is set to be screened in the Midnight Screenings section, a noncompetition section. Screenwriter-director July Jung's "Dora," a coming-of-age drama featuring K-pop-idol-turned-actress Kim Do-yeon and Japanese actress Sakura Ando, has also been officially invited to the Cannes Directors' Fortnight, an independent section that runs alongside the Cannes Film Festival from May 13 to 23. This undated file photo shows director Park Chan-wook. (Yonhap) mlee@yna.co.kr(END)