The movie 'Cobweb' (directed by Ji-woon Kim) was officially invited to the non-competitive section of the 76th Cannes International Film Festival.
According to distributor Barunson E&A on the 14th, 'Cobweb' was officially invited to the non-competitive section of the 76th Cannes International Film Festival. In particular, director Kim Ji-woon is invited to Cannes for the third time, and Song Kang-ho is invited to Cannes for the eighth time.
Previously, on the 13th (local time), the executive committee of the 76th Cannes International Film Festival announced that 'Cobweb' would be invited to the official non-competitive section. The Cannes International Film Festival is considered the most prestigious among leading international film festivals and attracts the highest attention from film fans around the world. This year, it will be held in Cannes, France from May 16th to 27th.
The official Out of Competition section is a section where hot works from the world film industry are invited. Prominent Hollywood blockbusters were named, including last year's 'Top Gun: Maverick' and this year's 'Indiana Jones: Dial of Destiny' and 'Killers of the Flower Moon', directed by master Martin Scorsese and starring Leonardo DiCaprio. Korean films that were invited included director Kim Ji-woon's 'A Bittersweet Life' (2005), 'The Good, the Bad, and the Weird' (2008), and Na Hong-jin's 'The Wailing' (2016).
This marks the third time director Kim Ji-woon has met a global audience at the Cannes International Film Festival, following 'A Bittersweet Life' (officially out-of-competition) in 2005 and 'The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly' (officially out-of-competition) in 2008. Song Kang-ho is the first Korean male actor to win the Best Actor Award at the Cannes International Film Festival for 'Broker' in 2022, and is invited to the Cannes International Film Festival for the second year in a row.
Also, 'Monster' (2006, Director's Weekly), 'Secret Sunshine' (2007, competition), 'The Good, the Bad, and the Weird' (2008, non-competition), 'Bat' (2009, competition), and 'Parasite' ' (2019, competition category), 'Emergency Declaration' (2021, non-competition category), and 'Broker' (2022, competition category), this is his 8th entry into Cannes, and he again broke his own record for the most invitations to Korean actors.
Following 'The Quiet Family' (1998), 'The Foul King' (2000), 'The Good, the Bad, and the Weird' (2008), and 'The Secret Service' (2016), this is director Kim Ji-woon and Song Kang-ho's fifth collaboration in 15 years. We stood on the red carpet at the Cannes International Film Festival together. For Lim Soo-jung, Oh Jeong-se, Jeon Yeo-bin, and Su-jeong Jeong, the main characters who created the powerful ensemble of 'Cobweb', 'Cobweb' is the first film invited to the Cannes International Film Festival.
Director Kim Ji-woon said, "This is great news for all the staff who participated in 'Cobweb' and the actors who showed brilliant acting and amazing energy. When 'movie time' needs to be revived after the pandemic, filmmakers and audiences around the world will come together. “It feels even more special to be invited to a gathering festival,” he said.
He added, "I am happy to be invited to work again with actor Song Kang-ho, a reliable film comrade. Above all, I am grateful to the actors who created the dynamic moments of 'Cobweb' together."
Song Kang-ho said, “I am very honored and happy to have been invited to my fifth film trip with director Kim Ji-woon, with such an attractive work and great actors.”
Meanwhile, 'The Spider's Nest' is set in the 1970s, and director Kim (played by Song Kang-ho), who is obsessed with the idea that the ending of the movie 'The Spider's Nest' will be better if he re-films it, is on the verge of going crazy due to interference from the censorship authorities and actors and producers who do not understand the changed content. The film is scheduled to be released this year and depicts the tragic and funny things that happen while filming under adverse conditions.
Kang Min-kyung, Ten Asia reporter kkk39@tenasia.co.kr