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So-seol-ga-ui yeong-hwa

The Novelist’s Film
Competition 2022
© Jeonwonsa Film Co. Production
Famous novelist Junhee’s reunion with two acquaintances would appear to be tinged with a slight sense of acrimony. The first of these colleagues gave up writing to open a bookstore on the outskirts of Seoul and has not given her any feedback about her last book. The second, a filmmaker, never adapted Junhee’s novel as planned. But the more pressing issue is that Junhee has not published anything in a while. Instead, she has begun to question her approach to writing and is having doubts about the sensibility that forged her style and her charismatic, scathing personality. During a stroll in the park with the film director and his wife, she meets a famous female actor who is experiencing a similar hiatus. The two connect so deeply that an idea for a film, which would be her first, soon begins to germinate in the novelist’s mind.
Hong Sangsoo’s twenty-seventh feature is an occasion for a spellbinding encounter between Kim Minhee and Cho Yunhee. His latest work muses on the effect of time on lives devoted to art; it also celebrates the beauty of chance encounters and the importance of being truthful in the dishonest world of film. A paean to actors that is, well, simply a love letter. Even if you are familiar with Hong’s consistent mastery of the form, nothing prepares you for the heartbreaking candour of the film you are about to see.

Trailer/Film Excerpt

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by Hong Sangsoo (Written and Directed by)
with Lee Hyeyoung, Kim Minhee, Seo Younghwa, Park Miso, Kwon Haehyo, Cho Yunhee, Ha Seongguk, Ki Joobong, Lee Eunmi, Kim Siha South Korea 2021 Korean 92' Black/White & Colour World premiere

With

  • Lee Hyeyoung (Junhee)
  • Kim Minhee (Kilsoo)
  • Seo Younghwa (Sewon)
  • Park Miso (Hyunwoo)
  • Kwon Haehyo (Hyojin)
  • Cho Yunhee (Yangjoo)
  • Ha Seongguk (Gyeongwoo)
  • Ki Joobong (Mansoo)
  • Lee Eunmi (Jaewon)
  • Kim Siha (Child)

Crew

Written and Directed by Hong Sangsoo
Cinematography Hong Sangsoo
Editing Hong Sangsoo
Music Hong Sangsoo
Sound Design Hong Sangsoo
Sound Seo Jihoon
Producer Hong Sangsoo
Executive Producer Hong Sangsoo
Production Manager Kim Minhee

World Sales

Finecut

Seoul, Republic of Korea

Produced by

Jeonwonsa Film Co.

Seoul, Republic of Korea

Photos

Press Conference

Red Carpet

Grant Gee

© Shane O’Connor

The British documentary director is making his fiction feature debut with Everybody Digs Bill Evans. Before that, The Gold Machine completed his trilogy of documentaries which included Patience (After Sebald) and Innocence of Memories. He is also known for his music documentaries Joy Division and Meeting People is Easy, about the band Radiohead. He regularly collaborates with theatre director Katie Mitchell on projects for renowned European theatres and opera houses and is senior tutor on the Master of Fine Arts course in documentary filmmaking at University College London.

Filmography (Filmography (Selection))

1998 Meeting People Is Easy; documentary 2007 Joy Division; documentary 2015 Innocence of Memories; documentary 2022 The Gold Machine; documentary 2026 Everybody Digs Bill Evans

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2026