Na Hong-jin’s ‘Hope’ invited to San Sebastian, set to hit North America on the ninth next month

K-creature films evolve, commanding Europe’s most prestigious screens

‘Hope’, the latest film from South Korea’s unrivaled thriller auteur Na Hong-jin, is making an overwhelming impact on the global cinema landscape. Its inclusion in the official selection of Spain’s San Sebastian International Film Festival further underscores the global standing of a meticulously crafted genre film.

According to distributor ‘Plus M Entertainment’ on the 19th, ‘Hope’ has been officially invited to the ‘Perlak’ section, a centerpiece of the 74th San Sebastian International Film Festival, which runs from Sept. 18 to 26. The festival is regarded as the most prestigious film event in the Spanish-speaking world. Perlak, in particular, screens a carefully selected slate of unreleased feature films that have earned widespread acclaim at other international festivals, making a selection a recognized measure of a film’s quality.

The achievement is no fluke. After first entering the competition at the 79th ‘Cannes Film Festival’, the film went on to secure invitations to the 25th New York Asian Film Festival and the 51st Toronto International Film Festival, setting a rare record with four consecutive invitations to major film festivals.

Featuring an ensemble cast of top-tier actors including ‘Hwang Jung-min’, ‘Jo In-sung’ and ‘Jung Ho-yeon’, ‘Hope’ is set in ‘Hopo Port’, an isolated harbor village near the Demilitarized Zone. The film depicts an intense struggle sparked by the appearance of an unknown life-form, earning strong praise from critics.

‘Hope’ sparked a box-office sensation upon its domestic release on the 15th of last month and is now setting its sights on North America. The global film industry is watching to see whether the film can write a new chapter in the worldwide box-office success story of K-movies when it opens in North American theaters on the ninth of next month.