Director Hong Sang-soo, who is 65 years old this year, was appointed as a judge at this year's Cannes International Film Festival after receiving a late child due to the extramarital scandal this month. The public's eyes are still warm to celebrate as a double celebration.
On the 28th (local time), the executive committee of the Cannes Film Festival announced the judges in the competition section of the 78th Cannes Film Festival, which will be held this year, on its official website. This year's Cannes Film Festival includes actors Harley Berry, Jeremy Strong and Alba Lorbacher, as well as Indian director Fayal Capadia, Congolese director Diwedo Amadi, Mexican director Carlos Reigadas and French writer Leila Slamani. And the lineup of nine judges was confirmed, with the last director Hong Sang-soo listed.
Director Hong Sang-soo is a prolific film director who has received numerous international awards. The Cannes Film Festival is also a director who has become an indispensable being, he said, explaining the reason for appointing a judge.
Starting with director Shin Sang-ok being selected as a judge at the 47th Cannes Film Festival held in 1994, director Lee Chang-dong was selected as a judge at the 62nd Cannes Film Festival held in 2009, actor Jeon Do-yeon at the 67th Cannes Film Festival held in 2014, director Park Chan-wook at the 70th Cannes Film Festival held in 2017, and Song Kang-ho at the 74th Cannes Film Festival held in 2021. Director Hong Sang-soo was selected as the sixth Korean judge.
In particular, the relationship between the Cannes Film Festival and director Hong Sang-soo is special. The Cannes Film Festival has consistently shown affection for director Hong Sang-soo, following directors Park Chan-wook and Bong Joon-ho.
Director Hong Sang-soo entered the Cannes Film Festival with the 1998 film The Power of Gangwon-do, and then succeeded in entering the competition category with the 2004 film Woman Is the Future of Men, and the 2005 film exhibition 'Theater Exhibition' also successively entered the competition category. In 2008, he introduced director Hong Sang-soo's work with a remarkable gaze in the director's week with 'Unknowingly', won the grand prize in the remarkable gaze category with 'Hahaha' in 2010, and 2011 'Bukchon Direction' with a remarkable gaze.
In addition, director Hong Sang-soo has continued to support director Hong Sang-soo and his work even after he officially announced the fact that he and Kim Min-hee were involved in a relationship with Kim Min-hee since the movie was released in 2015 and that he was in a relationship with Kim Min-hee at the press conference for the 2017 film "Alone on the Beach at Night". After the announcement of the affair, 'Clair's Camera' and 'After' were invited to the 70th Cannes Film Festival in 2017 to introduce two films a year at the same time as the special screening and competition categories. Since then, he has made a global name as a regular Korean director at the Cannes Film Festival, inviting him to the premier category in 2021 'In Front of Your Face' and the director week in 2023 'Our Day'.
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| Photo=online community |
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As such, director Hong Sang-soo is constantly receiving great attention as a representative director of Korea through international film festivals such as Berlin and Locarno, including the Cannes Film Festival, but the domestic response is still cold. Currently, director Hong Sang-soo is married to his wife A and has been living with Kim Min-hee at the same time, continuing his affair romance for 10 years. Above all, Kim Min-hee gave birth to director Hong Sang-soo's child as a natural pregnancy last year, and the recent news of the two's birth caused a bigger controversy by adding to the controversy over extramarital affairs. On the 25th, an online community released a photo showing director Hong Sang-soo and Kim Min-hee taking a walk with their son less than 100 days ago at a park near Hanam-si, Gyeonggi-do, where they live together, causing public anger.
It is a funny situation that director Hong Sang-soo, who was criticized for his affair with Kim Min-hee and even his son out of wedlock in Korea, is still revered by hot love calls at international European film festivals. Attention is focusing on whether Kim Min-hee, an affair partner who accompanied and assisted director Hong Sang-soo's invitation to the European Film Festival, will attend the Cannes Film Festival with her newborn son this year to support judge Hong Sang-soo.
Meanwhile, this year's Cannes Film Festival will open on May 13 and will be held in Cannes, southern France, until the 24th. None of the Korean films were invited to the official category this year.
soulhn1220@sportschosun.com
