Hong Sang-soo’s ‘By the Stream’ to compete at Locarno Film Festival

South Korean auteur Hong Sang-soo's new work “By the Stream” will have its world premiere and compete at the Locarno Film Festival, Hong’s production firm Jeonwonsa Film said Thursday.

The 77th Locarno Film Festival, which kicks off on Aug. 7, showcases artistic and experimental movies from around the world. Established in 1946, the festival is one of the longest film festivals in the world, taking place every August in the northeastern city of Locarno, Switzerland.

It is the fourth time Hong has been invited to the festival, following “Our Sunhee” (2013), “Right Now, Wrong Then” (2015) and “Hotel by the River” (2018). All three works have won Hong awards.

“By the Stream” tells the story of Jeon-yim, a lecturer at a woman’s university who asks her uncle, a blacklisted actor-director, to direct a skit at the university. While Jeon-yim goes out every night to paint by the stream and get inspiration, her uncle becomes embroiled in a scandal with a professor at the university's textile department.

Typical of Hong’s films, the 111-minute-long micro-budget drama involves a female protagonist and long conversations between the characters. The movie stars Kim Min-hee, Kwon Hae-hyo and Cho Young, actors who frequently appear in Hong’s work. Hong is known to work with a tight-knit circle of actors.

The movie is the 15th collaborative work between Hong and his longtime partner and actor Kim. Kim has also participated in the film as a line producer. Details about her character have not been revealed.

Hong and Kim have been romantically involved since 2015, while the director is separated from his wife whom he married in 1985.