Hong Sang-soo to compete at Berlinale with ‘Introduction’

Award-winning director Hong Sang-soo’s 25th feature film, “Introduction,” will be part of the competition section at the 71st Berlin Film Festival.

“We are delighted to welcome one of the most ingenious writers in the film industry again. Director Hong Sang-soo’s work presents great joy and challenge to the audience,” Berlin Film Festival Executive Chairman Carlo Umberto Chatrian said in a statement. “Director Hong’s work deepens the understanding of the secret of art that operates in the space between scene and language.”

The new movie, starring Shin Seok-ho and Park Mi-so, is divided into three parts in which a young man named Young-ho goes on a journey to visit his father, his significant other and his mother.

This marks Hong’s fifth time competing for a prize at the Berlin festival.

Most recently, Hong won the best director prize at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival for “The Woman Who Ran,” which stars Kim Min-hee. Kim appears in “Introduction” as well.

With the win, Hong became the second South Korean filmmaker to earn the best director prize. The late Kim Ki-duk won in 2004 with “Samaritan Girl.”

Other movies from Hong that competed at the Berlin festival were “Night and Day” (2008), “Nobody’s Daughter Haewon” (2013) and “On the Beach at Night Alone” (2017).

The 71st Berlin International Film Festival will be held online March 1-5 due to COVID-19.

“Introduction” is scheduled to hit local theaters in the first half of this year.

By Song Seung-hyun(ssh@heraldcorp.com)