Director Hur Jin Ho’s new film The Assassins has been officially invited to the Gala Presentations section of the 51st Toronto International Film Festival.
The Assassins follows the mystery and hidden forces behind the first lady assassination case that shocked South Korea on Aug. 15, 1974.
The 51st Toronto International Film Festival, set to run from Sept. 10 to 20, is considered one of the world’s major international film festivals alongside Cannes, Berlin and Venice.
The Gala Presentations section, where The Assassins will screen, is one of TIFF’s main programs and has previously featured buzzworthy Korean titles, including No Other Choice, Harbin, Concrete Utopia and Smugglers. As a section known for special screenings with guests in attendance, it is expected to draw strong attention from global audiences again this year.
For Hur, the invitation marks his third time in the same section, following Dangerous Liaisons in 2012 and A Normal Family in 2023. Cameron Bailey, CEO of TIFF, praised the film as “a dynamic story about a shocking chapter in Korean history, told with outstanding direction by one of our most beloved filmmakers.” He also highlighted the cast, saying the performances by Yoo Hae Jin, Park Hae Il and Lee Min Ho are “fantastic.”
The Assassins is billed as an intense mystery thriller that adds cinematic imagination to lingering records and questions from modern Korean history. The three actors are expected to deliver layered performances with powerful screen presence.
The film is also drawing attention for its production team. Hive Media Corp, known for historical films including 12.12: The Day and The Man Standing Next, leads the project alongside top-tier crew members such as cinematographer Lee Mo Gae, lighting director Lee Sung Hwan, production designer Kim Byung Han and VFX supervisor Jung Jae Hoon.
With its TIFF invitation already raising global interest, The Assassins is set to hit Korean theaters this Chuseok.
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