Hong Sangsoo's The Novelist's Film Enters Competition at Berlin Film Festival

Hong Sangsoo Invited to Berlin Film Festival Competition for 3 Consecutive Years
"Praising the Beauty of Coincidental Encounters and Telling Truthful Stories"

Director Hong Sangsoo has been invited to the competition section of the Berlin International Film Festival for the third consecutive year. On the 19th (local time), the Berlin Film Festival Executive Committee announced the competition films for the 72nd festival, mentioning "The Novelist’s Film." It is Hong’s twenty-seventh feature film. The story follows novelist Junhee as she visits the bookstore of a missing junior colleague. The film is intricately crafted with scenes such as climbing a tower alone, meeting a filmmaker couple, and persuading an actress met in a park to make a film. The cast includes Lee Hye-young, Kim Min-hee, Seo Young-hwa, Kwon Hae-hyo, Jo Yoon-hee, and Ki Ju-bong. It was shot in black and white over two weeks starting from March last year on the outskirts of Seoul.

Director Hong took charge not only of directing but also of the screenplay, cinematography, editing, and music. His partner Kim Min-hee both acted and produced. Carlo Chatrian, the Artistic Director of the Berlin Film Festival, introduced Hong as "one of the directors we love." He added, "He shows the most consistent and innovative storytelling in contemporary cinema," and said, "In this film, he praises the beauty of chance encounters while discussing the importance of truthfulness in a dishonest film world." This year’s festival will be held from the 10th to the 20th of next month. An official stated, "It is scheduled to be released domestically in the first half of this year."