'Dora' director Jung Joo-ri receives France's Chevalier honor

Director Jung Joo-ri has received recognition from France's cultural community.

On Oct. 10, filmmaker Jung Joo-ri received the rank of Chevalier in France's Order of Arts and Letters at the '2026 French Night' event held at Paradise Hotel Busan. The event, organized by the cultural affairs section of the French Embassy in Korea to mark the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations between France and South Korea, honored Jung for her close ties to France's cultural community. All three films she directed over the past decade were presented at the Cannes International Film Festival.

Michel Miraillet, France's chargé d'affaires in South Korea, who presented the honor, said, "Your films bring before us characters who may go unnoticed but are strong and resilient, and portray them with a delicate gaze." He added, "It would now be fair to say that the Cannes Film Festival is your most consistent supporter and most passionate fan." Jung's latest film, 〈Dora〉, released in 2026, was also completed as a South Korea-France-Luxembourg co-production.

Jung said, "I wondered whether I was truly qualified to receive this honor. But I thought of the French audiences I met across France—in Paris, Cannes, Metz and Strasbourg." She continued, "Their encouragement allowed me to once again recognize the power of cinema: that the lives depicted in a film can become a story shared by all of us. That power gave me the courage to make a co-production in an unprecedented form." Her latest film, 〈Dora〉, is scheduled for release in South Korea in 2027.