[Photo &] Hong Sang-soo, the Man from Berlin, 'The Day She Returned'... First Screening (GV) in Berlin

Director Hong Sang-soo has once again proven himself to be 'the Man from Berlin'. His 34th feature film 'The Day She Returned' premiered globally for the first time in the Panorama section of the 76th Berlin International Film Festival, receiving enthusiastic attention from the local audience. With this, Director Hong has set a remarkable record of being invited to the Berlin Film Festival for 7 consecutive years, reaffirming his unique status in the global film industry.

This new work has garnered attention as actress Song Sun-mi takes the lead role. The film captures a day in the life of actress 'Bae Jeong-soo', who has resumed her acting career, through Hong Sang-soo's unique calm and profound black-and-white visual style.

The local response has been enthusiastic. Berlin Film Festival Executive Director Tricia Tuttle introduced the film as "a beautifully observed film that carries strong feelings of compassion and humor." She further analyzed that it contains an exploration of living under public scrutiny while controlling narratives related to women and fame. In particular, Director Tuttle praised, "It is elegantly made and offers numerous cinematic pleasures," stating that Song Sun-mi's performance is intense.

Director Hong stated about his working method, "The characters and images are inherent, and the rest of the time is just the process of execution," emphasizing that "execution is not discovery". This highlights the essence of 'Hong Sang-soo's realism', which values inspiration on the day of shooting and interaction with actors over a predetermined script. He explained that the reason for choosing black-and-white filming was an "intuitive judgment that it suits this film better."

Director Hong Sang-soo is regarded as one of the great directors of modern cinema, creating profound works on a low budget that say a lot. In the audience talk (GV) that followed the screening, Director Hong candidly revealed his unique directing philosophy. When asked about the starting point of the film, he replied, "It usually starts not from an idea, but from the actors", capturing the audience's attention.

Actress Song Sun-mi has collaborated with Director Hong on a total of 8 films, starting with 'The Woman on the Beach' in 2006 up to this work. After a long relationship, she took on the lead role, showcasing her accumulated acting skills and solidifying her position as Director Hong's persona.

This work also attracted attention as actress Kim Min-hee, Director Hong's partner, participated as the production manager. Kim Min-hee has been deeply involved in the overall production of Director Hong's works since winning the Silver Bear for Best Actress at the Berlin Film Festival in 2017 for 'On the Beach at Night Alone', enhancing the film's quality. Director Hong has also maintained a special connection with Berlin, having won the jury prize twice for 'The Novelist's Film' and 'The Need for Travelers'.

Meanwhile, this work secured North American distribution rights through the American distributor 'Cinema Guild' at the Berlin Film Festival's 'EFM (European Film Market)'.