Director Hong Sang-soo's 'In the Water' was honored at the Berlin International Film Festival.
The competition section screening committee of the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival held the awards ceremony at the Berlinale Palast in Berlin, Germany on the 25th (local time).
Director Hong Sang-soo's 29th feature film 'In the Water', which was nominated in the Encounters category, failed to win the award. Encounters, newly established in 2020, is a section that introduces works with a new cinematic vision, similar to the Cannes International Film Festival's Un Certain Regard.
'Inside the Water' stars Shin Seok-ho, Ha Seong-guk, and Kim Seung-yoon, and director Hong's lover Kim Min-hee serves as the production manager. 'In the Water', which aired in Jeju last April, tells the story of a man who dreamed of becoming an actor and takes on the challenge of directing a movie to test his creativity. The story is about a man who heads to Jeju Island with two people, meets a woman who is picking up trash on the beach, and creates a story through that meeting.
Director Hong has a deep connection with the Berlin International Film Festival, having entered the competition section six times since ‘Day and Night’ (2008). Among them, four films, including ‘On the Beach at Night Alone’ (Silver Bear Award for Best Actress), ‘The Woman Who Ran’ (Silver Bear Award for Best Director), ‘Introduction’ (Silver Bear Award for Best Screenplay), and ‘Novelist’s Film’ (Silver Bear Award for Jury Award) won trophies. I also held him in my arms. This was his 5th attempt at winning the trophy, but he failed.
Director Hong Sang-soo was invited to the Berlin International Film Festival for four consecutive years with this film, following 'The Woman Who Ran' (2020), 'Introduction' (2021), and 'The Novelist's Film' (2022). Including ‘Day and Night’ and ‘On the Beach Alone at Night’, there are a total of 6 invitations.
Choi Ji-ye, Ten Asia Reporter wisdomart@tenasia.co.kr