Korean Cinema at Cannes 2024: Three Films to Screen in Different Categories

The 77th annual Cannes Film Festival’s (May 14–25, 2024) impressive roster includes three Korean titles across different categories: the crime-action movie I, The Executioner (Veteran 2), set to screen over the midnight sessions in the “Out of Competition” category; the documentary Walking in the Movies selected for “Cannes Classics”; and the short film Forest of Echoes to appear in “The Cinema” section.

Starring Chungmuro blue-chip juggernaut Hwang Jung-min and co-star Jung Hae-in, I, The Executioner, directed by an esteemed Ryoo Seung-wan, is likely a big attraction for the midnight screenings. It follows an unrelenting hunt for criminals by seasoned detective Seo Do-cheol (Hwang) and his colleagues at the Major Crimes Investigation Division—the case at hand is locating a vicious serial killer wreaking havoc all around, which calls for rookie policeman Park Sun-woo (Jung).

The follow-up to Veteran (2015), I, The Executioner, aka Veteran 2, returns, promising more intrigue and action as Seo Do-cheol and Park Sun-woo chase the serial killer. While Veteran laid bare acts of power misuse in Korean society amid Do-cheol and accomplices’ pursuit of a snooty chaebol heir, I, The Executioner, is a world-weary scenario with criminals exploiting the advantages of hopelessness. Unlike its prequel, the film, is reported to question the crime action genre from an entirely different angle.

According to the film’s official press kit from Cannes, I, The Executioner, delves into dopamine-boosting video clips and disinformation, spawning an account that challenges the accuracy of a tsunami of content we see daily. Notably, the film’s themes of portraying a rise of crime-action investigative dramas are essential to director Ryoo Seung-wan’s look at a culture where information is filtered via algorithms. It also prompts reflection on how difficult and crucial it is to figure out right and wrong in this dynamic culture. 

Hwang Jung-min is making his fourth appearance at Cannes with I, The Executioner, following past appearances with A Bittersweet Life (2005), The Wailing (2016), and The Spy Gone North (2018). On the contrary, Jung Hae-in will walk the festival’s red carpet for the first time this year.

I, The Executioner, embody the spirit of Cannes’ “Midnight Screenings,” dedicated to playing a carefully curated schedule of compelling pictures with thought-provoking material.

Moving on, commemorating the history of films, Kim Lyang’s Walking in the Movies will play in the “Cannes Classics”—screenings of classic films in newly restored or remastered prints. Walking in the Movies tells the tale of Kim Dong-ho, the man who founded the Busan International Film Festival and was instrumental in the rise to prominence of Korean cinema. It highlights his unwavering dedication to the film industry, his passion for the medium, and his creative brilliance.

The next, Forest of Echoes, by Lim Yoo-ri, is a 22-minute short film and the sole Korean work to vie for an award at Cannes this year. It’ll feature in the “The Cinema” or “La Cinef” section, open to students at film schools worldwide. Roughly 20 films are shortlisted to compete in this category.

A facet of Korean folklore and the hidden mysteries of women who endured oppression are chronicled in the epic fantasy fiction Forest of Echoes. It has Ok-yeon, a girl, fleeing from inebriated men and entering a dangerous taboo-ridden forest, where she chances upon Bang-wool, a married woman.

Per an article from The Korea Herald, Lim Yoo-ri, a student at the Korea National University of Arts, expressed her keen interest in disseminating the experiences of those who are willing to question “their preconceptions” and push forward to take chances in the future. She thus feels happy about Forest of Echoes in that “this movie’s intention has been delivered to France.”