Kim Do-yeon to Attend Cannes Film Festival with Director Jung Ju-ri's New Film 'Dora'

Director Jung Ju-ri's third feature film 'Dora', which garnered attention for the collaboration between Kim Do-yeon and Ando Sakura, has been invited to the 79th Cannes Film Festival's Directors' Fortnight. Actress Kim Do-yeon, formerly of the group I.O.I, will attend the Cannes Film Festival for the first time with 'Dora'.

On the 14th, the Directors' Fortnight committee of the 79th Cannes Film Festival announced the invitation of Jung Ju-ri's new film 'Dora'. Following her previous works 'A Girl at My Door' (Un Certain Regard) and 'Next Sohee' (Critics' Week Closing Film), Jung Ju-ri has achieved the remarkable feat of having all her directed films invited to the Cannes Film Festival, establishing a unique cinematic world.

Julien Rejl, the head of the Directors' Fortnight, praised, "Jung Ju-ri's new film is a free and original movie inspired by Freud's 'Dora' case from the early 20th century. Through a bold and unique approach within the context of Korean cinema, Director Jung explores the desires of a young woman and the passion and confusion that ensue." He added, "We are very pleased to present this highly accomplished third feature by Jung Ju-ri in the Directors' Fortnight."

The film 'Dora' portrays the process of two characters with physical and emotional scars getting caught in a whirlwind of complex emotions, captured with Jung Ju-ri's characteristic delicate direction. The film has been a topic of interest due to the meeting of Kim Do-yeon, who won the Best New Actress award at the 46th Blue Dragon Film Awards, and Ando Sakura, a three-time Best Actress winner at the Japan Academy Awards for '100 Yen Love', 'Shoplifters', and 'Monster'.

This project is an international co-production with investment and production support from France, Luxembourg, and Japan, adding significance. It was selected for the Korean Film Council's mid-budget Korean film production support program established in 2025.

The Directors' Fortnight, established in 1969 by the French Directors' Guild, is a non-competitive section that has invited global masters as well as Korean directors like Lee Chang-dong with 'Peppermint Candy' (2000), Bong Joon-ho with 'The Host' (2006), and Yeon Sang-ho with 'The King of Pigs' (2012). The 79th Cannes Film Festival's Directors' Fortnight will be held in Cannes, France, from May 13 to 23, 2026, with 'Dora' set to premiere worldwide in this section.

Reporter Kim Ji-won, TenAsia bella@tenasia.co.kr