For the first time in 12 years, Korean cinema will be absent from the Cannes Film Festival, with no Korean features selected for the official lineup in May.
The last time Korea’s film industry failed to secure any invitations to screen at the official selection of the prestigious festival was in 1999, and it’s the first time since 2013 that no Korean film will be screened in the official selection.
While no Korean feature films be screened at the festival, slated for May 13 to 24, the Critics’ Week section, a parallel event held alongisde the main festival, invited director Joung Yu-mi’s short animated film “Glasses.”
However, this still stands in stark contrast to Korea’s celebrated history at Cannes, which began in earnest with Lee Doo-yong’s “Mulleya Mulleya,” invited to the festival in 1984. Since then, Korean cinema has consistently received attention from organizers and attendees.
Experts highlight that this year’s unprecedented exclusion is not merely a coincidence but a reflection of deeper issues within the film industry here, with the shift towards streaming platforms seen as a major factor.
“Japanese films continue to garner attention at Cannes and it is true that the production of Korean films is decreasing. A significant amount of Korean content is now being produced with a focus on streaming platforms. This shift in the filmmaking paradigm, moving away from a cinema-centric model to a streaming-centered one, is a major contributing factor,” Shim Eun-jin, a professor of theater and film at Cheongju University, told The Korea Times, Thursday.
“Changes in audience perception and the production environment seem to have led to this result.”
Filmmaker Park Chan-wook, left, who won the Best Director award in 2022 for ‘Decision to Leave,’ and actor Song Kang-ho, who became the first Korean male actor to win the Best Actor for Hirokazu Kore-eda’s 2022 Korean film ‘Broker,’ speak to reporters after the awards ceremony at the 75th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, May 28, 2022. Yonhap
Filmmaker Park Chan-wook, left, who won the Best Director award in 2022 for “Decision to Leave,” and actor Song Kang-ho, who became the first Korean male actor to win the Best Actor for Hirokazu Kore-eda’s 2022 Korean film “Broker,” speak to reporters after the awards ceremony at the 75th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, May 28, 2022. Yonhap
Though theatrical releases may be on the decline, Shim emphasized that Korean-made content remains globally influential — the only difference is that the production focus has shifted from theaters to streaming platforms.
“The fact that heavily watched content ranks high on platforms like Netflix is highly symbolic. Many productions are still being made, but the focus has shifted,” she explained.
“Films are not made by individuals but have a large industrial aspect, so content production inevitably follows the money, which is currently flowing towards streaming platforms. Korea has a strong tendency to lean heavily in one direction, and as a counter-reaction, the number of films shown in theaters is on the decrease.”
She also noted that celebrated filmmakers like Bong Joon-ho and Park Chan-wook increasingly work on global projects outside of Korea, which further affects the domestic industry’s visibility on festival circuits.
Filmmaker Bong Joon-ho, left, and actor Song Kang-ho hold the Palme d’Or trophy after their film ‘Parasite’ won the top honor at the 72nd Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, in this file photo from May 25, 2019. EPA-Yonhap
Filmmaker Bong Joon-ho, left, and actor Song Kang-ho hold the Palme d’Or trophy after their film “Parasite” won the top honor at the 72nd Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, in this file photo from May 25, 2019. EPA-Yonhap
However, not everyone views the Cannes absence as a crisis. Vadim Rizov, director of editorial operations at the U.S.-based Filmmaker Magazine, suggested a different perspective, arguing that Cannes has historically underrepresented Asian cinema.
“I don’t think this is a crucial issue,” Rizov told The Korea Times.
“Historically, Cannes has been pretty weak on showing arthouse Asian cinema in competition… It’s fair to say that the main competition lineup is heavily Eurocentric and I don’t think that Korean film has historically been particularly well-represented in that context, even at the moment when the industry was peaking both commercially and critically.”
Rizov also noted signs of emerging Korean stars, despite potential challenges.
“Last year I was able to attend the Jeonju International Film Festival, where it certainly seemed like there were a decent number of ambitious young Korean filmmakers, albeit working with punishingly small budgets,” he said.
Actor Choi Min-sik is seen in director Im Kwon-taek’s 2002 film “Chihwaseon,” which gave the filmmaker the Best Director award at the 55th Cannes Film Festival. Korea Times file
Actor Choi Min-sik is seen in director Im Kwon-taek’s 2002 film “Chihwaseon,” which gave the filmmaker the Best Director award at the 55th Cannes Film Festival. Korea Times file
Korea’s Cannes legacy
While perspectives on the current situation vary, the absence this year is particularly notable given the Korean cinema scene’s track record at the festival over the past decades, demonstrating the international impact the industry has achieved.
A significant milestone came in 2002 when veteran director Im Kwon-taek became the first Korean filmmaker to win a major award at Cannes, securing the Best Director for his historical drama “Chihwaseon” (Painted Fire).
Following Im’s breakthrough, other Korean directors have earned accolades consistently. Park Chan-wook notably garnered three major awards over the years — the Grand Prix for “Oldboy” in 2004, the Jury Prize for “Thirst” in 2009 and Best Director for “Decision to Leave” in 2022. Lee Chang-dong received Best Screenplay for “Poetry” (2010), while Bong Joon-ho achieved the festival’s highest honor, the Palme d’Or, with “Parasite” in 2019.
Korean actors also received Cannes’ recognition. Jeon Do-yeon won the Best Actress award for her performance in Lee Chang-dong’s “Secret Sunshine” (2007). More recently, Song Kang-ho made history as the first Korean male actor to win Best Actor for his role in Hirokazu Kore-eda’s 2022 Korean-language film “Broker.”
Credit: koreatimes
The last time Korea’s film industry failed to secure any invitations to screen at the official selection of the prestigious festival was in 1999, and it’s the first time since 2013 that no Korean film will be screened in the official selection.
While no Korean feature films be screened at the festival, slated for May 13 to 24, the Critics’ Week section, a parallel event held alongisde the main festival, invited director Joung Yu-mi’s short animated film “Glasses.”
However, this still stands in stark contrast to Korea’s celebrated history at Cannes, which began in earnest with Lee Doo-yong’s “Mulleya Mulleya,” invited to the festival in 1984. Since then, Korean cinema has consistently received attention from organizers and attendees.
Experts highlight that this year’s unprecedented exclusion is not merely a coincidence but a reflection of deeper issues within the film industry here, with the shift towards streaming platforms seen as a major factor.
“Japanese films continue to garner attention at Cannes and it is true that the production of Korean films is decreasing. A significant amount of Korean content is now being produced with a focus on streaming platforms. This shift in the filmmaking paradigm, moving away from a cinema-centric model to a streaming-centered one, is a major contributing factor,” Shim Eun-jin, a professor of theater and film at Cheongju University, told The Korea Times, Thursday.
“Changes in audience perception and the production environment seem to have led to this result.”
Filmmaker Park Chan-wook, left, who won the Best Director award in 2022 for ‘Decision to Leave,’ and actor Song Kang-ho, who became the first Korean male actor to win the Best Actor for Hirokazu Kore-eda’s 2022 Korean film ‘Broker,’ speak to reporters after the awards ceremony at the 75th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, May 28, 2022. Yonhap
Filmmaker Park Chan-wook, left, who won the Best Director award in 2022 for “Decision to Leave,” and actor Song Kang-ho, who became the first Korean male actor to win the Best Actor for Hirokazu Kore-eda’s 2022 Korean film “Broker,” speak to reporters after the awards ceremony at the 75th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, May 28, 2022. Yonhap
Though theatrical releases may be on the decline, Shim emphasized that Korean-made content remains globally influential — the only difference is that the production focus has shifted from theaters to streaming platforms.
“The fact that heavily watched content ranks high on platforms like Netflix is highly symbolic. Many productions are still being made, but the focus has shifted,” she explained.
“Films are not made by individuals but have a large industrial aspect, so content production inevitably follows the money, which is currently flowing towards streaming platforms. Korea has a strong tendency to lean heavily in one direction, and as a counter-reaction, the number of films shown in theaters is on the decrease.”
She also noted that celebrated filmmakers like Bong Joon-ho and Park Chan-wook increasingly work on global projects outside of Korea, which further affects the domestic industry’s visibility on festival circuits.
Filmmaker Bong Joon-ho, left, and actor Song Kang-ho hold the Palme d’Or trophy after their film ‘Parasite’ won the top honor at the 72nd Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, in this file photo from May 25, 2019. EPA-Yonhap
Filmmaker Bong Joon-ho, left, and actor Song Kang-ho hold the Palme d’Or trophy after their film “Parasite” won the top honor at the 72nd Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, in this file photo from May 25, 2019. EPA-Yonhap
However, not everyone views the Cannes absence as a crisis. Vadim Rizov, director of editorial operations at the U.S.-based Filmmaker Magazine, suggested a different perspective, arguing that Cannes has historically underrepresented Asian cinema.
“I don’t think this is a crucial issue,” Rizov told The Korea Times.
“Historically, Cannes has been pretty weak on showing arthouse Asian cinema in competition… It’s fair to say that the main competition lineup is heavily Eurocentric and I don’t think that Korean film has historically been particularly well-represented in that context, even at the moment when the industry was peaking both commercially and critically.”
Rizov also noted signs of emerging Korean stars, despite potential challenges.
“Last year I was able to attend the Jeonju International Film Festival, where it certainly seemed like there were a decent number of ambitious young Korean filmmakers, albeit working with punishingly small budgets,” he said.
Actor Choi Min-sik is seen in director Im Kwon-taek’s 2002 film “Chihwaseon,” which gave the filmmaker the Best Director award at the 55th Cannes Film Festival. Korea Times file
Actor Choi Min-sik is seen in director Im Kwon-taek’s 2002 film “Chihwaseon,” which gave the filmmaker the Best Director award at the 55th Cannes Film Festival. Korea Times file
Korea’s Cannes legacy
While perspectives on the current situation vary, the absence this year is particularly notable given the Korean cinema scene’s track record at the festival over the past decades, demonstrating the international impact the industry has achieved.
A significant milestone came in 2002 when veteran director Im Kwon-taek became the first Korean filmmaker to win a major award at Cannes, securing the Best Director for his historical drama “Chihwaseon” (Painted Fire).
Following Im’s breakthrough, other Korean directors have earned accolades consistently. Park Chan-wook notably garnered three major awards over the years — the Grand Prix for “Oldboy” in 2004, the Jury Prize for “Thirst” in 2009 and Best Director for “Decision to Leave” in 2022. Lee Chang-dong received Best Screenplay for “Poetry” (2010), while Bong Joon-ho achieved the festival’s highest honor, the Palme d’Or, with “Parasite” in 2019.
Korean actors also received Cannes’ recognition. Jeon Do-yeon won the Best Actress award for her performance in Lee Chang-dong’s “Secret Sunshine” (2007). More recently, Song Kang-ho made history as the first Korean male actor to win Best Actor for his role in Hirokazu Kore-eda’s 2022 Korean-language film “Broker.”
Credit: koreatimes
