The official selection of films for the 72nd Cannes Film Festival was announced earlier today, along with all the Asian films that will be participating at the Festival this year. While there are not many Asian films that feature this year, there are some big names and some interesting titles that have been selected.
Going head to head are the latest films by Bong Joon-ho and Chinese director Diao Yinan. Bong Joon-ho's latest family drama “Parasite”, starring Song Kang-ho and Lee Sun-kyun in leading roles, will screen In Competiton, where his last film “Okja” also participated. Five years after his Berlin Film Festival conquering thriller “Black Coal, Thin Ice”, director Diao Yinan will also be competing with his latest film “The Wild Goose Lake”, which sees him reteam with his Silver Bear winning actor Liao Fan. Palestinian director Elia Suleiman's travelogue film “It Must be Heaven” will also join the two in competition.
Meanwhile, “Road to Mandalay” director Midi Z's “Nina Wu”, which is inspired by the Harvey Weinstein scandal and the #metoo movement, will feature out of competition in the Un Certain Regard category, where it will be joined by Zu Feng's “Summer of Changsha”, which will be eligible for the Camera d'Or as it is Zu's directorial debut feature film.
Elsewhere, the Midnight Screening category's love story with hard-hitting Korean actioners continues, with the Ma Dong-seok starring “The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil” having been invited this year. A couple years back, both “The Merciless” and “The Villainess” also debuted here.
Check the list here:
In Competition
Parasite (Bong Joon-ho, South Korea)
The Wild Goose Lake (Diao Yinan, China)
It Must be Heaven (Elia Suleiman, Palestine)
Un Certain Regard
Nina Wu (Midi Z, Taiwan)
Summer of Changsha (Zu Feng, China)
Midnight Screenings
The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil (Lee Won-tae, South Korea)
Quinzaine Screenings
The Halt (Lav Diaz; Philippines)
First Love (Takashi Miike; Japan
The Orphanage (Shahrbanoo Sadat; India)
To Live to Sing (Johnny Ma; China)
