[Book Sip] The Theme of 'Cultura June Issue' is 'Cannes International Film Festival'

Some sentences encapsulate the entire content of a book in themselves, while others instantly reach the reader's heart, creating a connection with the book. We present meaningful sentences excerpted from books. - Editor's note

At the 75th Cannes International Film Festival, held normally for the first time in three years since COVID-19, director Park Chan-wook won the Best Director award for the film Decision to Leave, and actor Song Kang-ho achieved the remarkable feat of becoming the first Korean actor to win the Best Actor award for the film Broker. This issue of Cultura shines a spotlight on the event. Covering the 21 Cannes competition films and other notable works, masterclasses, press conferences, Korean Film Night, award ceremonies, and many other events, we introduce the feverish wave of K-movies that swept Cannes over the 12 days from opening to closing. We interviewed Kim Dong-ho, Chairman of the Gangneung International Film Festival, Cannes award winner director Park Chan-wook, actor Song Kang-ho, and actor-director Lee Jung-jae, who stirred up the early days of Cannes with Hunt.

“Around the time I was shooting the British drama The Little Drummer Girl (2018), I began to want to make a film with a classic flavor. Specifically, I wanted to make a crime film featuring a considerate and polite detective as the protagonist, like in Martin Beck, combined with a romance film using the 1967 Korean song Fog sung by singer Jung Hoon-hee. The combination of these two elements gave birth to this film.”

- From “I wanted to make a film that makes the audience want to look deeper themselves.” - Interview with Director Park Chan-wook (Interviewer: Lee Eun-joo, Seoul Shinmun), page 40

Broker is a film that shows the reality we stand on very coldly and harshly, awakening us to what we should truly cherish. Especially through the life issues faced by women today, it questions what points society should consider and encourages viewers to find their own answers. I find that truly surprising and wonderful.”

- From “Decorating a New Page in Korean Cinema - Interview with Actor Song Kang-ho” (Interviewer: Song Seok-ju, Film Critic), page 46

“It might be a subject chosen considering the social atmosphere. As I began revising the screenplay myself, I thought about themes that could communicate not only with Korean but also overseas audiences. It had to be a story interesting to international viewers as well. I also considered changing the setting to the present, but decided that the 1980s setting was more suitable for the overall theme. After making this choice, I even dreamed of ‘going to film festivals and communicating with more people on this theme.’”

- From “Advancing Once Again at Cannes - Interview with Actor-Director Lee Jung-jae” (Interviewer: Ahn Jin-yong, Munhwa Ilbo), page 51

Cultura June Issue | Edited by Editorial Department | Author | 144 pages | 12,000 KRW