Park Chan Wook’s much-anticipated film No Other Choice has been selected as the opening film for the 30th Busan International Film Festival.
BIFF announced on August 4th that Director Park Chan Wook’s new work has been chosen as the opening film for the 30th BIFF. No Other Choice is a highly anticipated film that has been invited to the competitive section of the 82nd Venice International Film Festival, set to open on August 27th. It will be screened as an Asian premiere on September 17th at the BIFF.
No Other Choice marks Director Park’s first release in three years since Decision to Leave (2022). The film tells the story of Man Su, an office worker who once felt his life was perfect, believing he had “achieved everything” until he was suddenly laid off. Now, he prepares for a personal battle to get reemployed, protect his wife and two children, and save the home he painstakingly acquired.
Lee Byung Hun, who will host this year’s BIFF opening ceremony, stars as Man Su, a job seeker who embarks on a desperate battle for re-employment. Son Ye Jin takes on the role of Mi Ri, the wife determined to protect her family. Additionally, a lineup of trusted actors, including Park Hee Soon, Lee Sung Min, Yum Hye Ran, and Cha Seung Won, will join the ensemble.
BIFF, celebrating its thirtieth festival this year, expressed confidence in selecting No Other Choice as its opening film, stating it is “the answer to what the approximately 5,000 attendees at the BIFF opening ceremony would most want to see.” The festival further added, “It is also the result of focusing on a work that will infuse the most vibrant energy into the Korean film industry.”
BIFF plans to “prioritize public engagement with the numerous audiences attending the opening ceremony, while also signaling the festival’s start with fervent respect and a message of support for contemporary Korean cinema.”
BIFF Executive Directo Jung Han Seok stated, “I am overwhelmed and thrilled to think that we can share the story Director Park Chan Wook most wanted to create with many audiences on the first day of this year’s festival.” He expressed his hope that “the selection of the BIFF opening film will not only generate interest in the work itself but also extend to a broader interest in Korean cinema.”
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Source: Busan International Film Festival
