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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.
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by Hong Sangsoo
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

Produced by

Jeonwonsa Film Co.

Photos

Press Conference

Red Carpet

Hong Sangsoo

© Jeonwonsa Film Co.

Born in Seoul, South Korea in 1960, he studied at the city’s Chung-Ang University, at the California College of Arts and Crafts and at the Art Institute of Chicago. Since 1996, he has written and directed 33 feature films as well as several shorts. His work has already been invited to the Berlinale Competition seven times, most recently in 2024 with A Traveler’s Needs.

Filmography (selection)

2014 Jayueui onduk (Hill of Freedom) 2015 Jigeumeun matgo geuttaeneun teullida (Right Now, Wrong Then) 2016 Dangsinjasingwa dangsinui geot (Yourself and Yours) 2017 Bamui haebyun-eoseo honja (On the Beach at Night Alone) · Keul-le-eo-ui ka-me-la (Claire’s Camera) · Geu-hu (The Day After) 2018 Pul-lp-Deul (Grass) 2019 Gang-Byun-Ho-Tel (Hotel by the River) · Domangchin yeoja (The Woman Who Ran) 2020 Inteurodeoksyeon (Introduction) 2021 Dangsin-eolgul-apeseo (In Front of Your Face) · So-seol-ga-ui yeong-hwa (The Novelist’s Film) 2022 Top (Walk Up) 2023 mul-an-e-seo (in water) · Woo-ri-ui-ha-ru (In Our Day) 2024 Yeohaengjaui pilyo (A Traveler’s Needs) 2025 Geu jayeoni nege mworago hani (What Does That Nature Say To You)

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2025