No Korean films have been selected for the main lineup of this year’s Cannes Film Festival, marking the first absence in 12 years.
The festival’s organizing committee announced the official selections for its 78th edition at a press conference held at UGC Montmartre in Paris on April 10, covering both competition and non-competition categories.
This year’s Cannes lineup includes no Korean entries in any major section, including Competition, Out of Competition, Midnight Screenings, Un Certain Regard, or Cannes Premiere. It marks the first time since 2013 that Korean cinema has been absent from both competitive and non-competitive categories.
Several Korean films had been submitted, including “The Ugly” by Yeon Sang-ho, “The Journey to Gyeongju” by Kim Mi-jo, and “Omniscient Reader: The Prophet” by Kim Byung-woo, but none received invitations. Park Chan-wook’s upcoming film “No Other Choice” was not submitted, as it is still in post-production.
This also marks the third consecutive year that no Korean film has been selected for the main competition, which awards the festival’s top honor, the Palme d’Or. Bong Joon-ho’s “Parasite” won the Palme d’Or in 2019, while in 2022, Park Chan-wook received Best Director for “Decision to Leave” and Song Kang-ho won Best Actor for “Broker.” Last year, Ryoo Seung-wan’s “I, the Executioner” was screened in the non-competition Midnight Screenings section.
It is highly unusual for no Korean feature to be invited to Cannes. Since the early 2000s, the festival has typically included one to four Korean titles each year. Still, as Cannes has occasionally added selections after the official lineup, there remains a possibility that a Korean film could be included later.
This year’s festival will run from May 13 to 24 in the southern French city of Cannes, with French actress Juliette Binoche serving as jury president.
