Hong Sang-soo's Latest Film Invited to 75th Berlin International Film Festival

Hong Sang-soo's 33rd feature film, '그 자연이 네게 뭐라고 하니' (What Does the Nature Say to You), has officially been invited to compete at the 75th Berlin International Film Festival. The festival's executive committee announced the invitation during a press conference on January 21, 2025 (local time), as reported by the overseas distributor, Finecut Co., Ltd.

This marks the sixth consecutive year that Hong Sang-soo has received an invitation, following his previous works '도망친 여자' (The Woman Who Ran), '인트로덕션' (Introduction), '소설가의 영화' (The Novelist's Film), '물안에서' (In the Water), and '여행자의 필요' (The Need for Travel). Hong has previously won several awards at the Berlin International Film Festival, including the Silver Bear for Best Actress for '밤의 해변에서 혼자' (Alone on the Beach at Night) at the 67th festival, the Silver Bear for Best Director for '도망친 여자' at the 70th, and the Silver Bear for Best Screenplay for '인트로덕션' at the 71st.

In the invitation letter, Tricia Tuttles, the festival's executive director, along with the two program directors, expressed their admiration for Hong's latest work, stating, "We all loved watching your most recent film, appreciating the language of form and rhythm it embodies, as well as the insights contained within. We found '그 자연이 네게 뭐라고 하니' to be truly intuitive regarding people and the flow between them, while also being sharply humorous at many moments. Congratulations on this significant achievement."

'그 자연이 네게 뭐라고 하니' features actors Ha Sung-koo, Kwon Hae-hyo, and Jo Yoon-hee, who have appeared in many of Hong's previous films. The story revolves around a thirty-something poet named Dong-hwa, who unexpectedly visits his lover Jun-hee's home, leading to a series of events.

The 75th Berlin International Film Festival will take place from February 13 to 23, 2025, in Berlin, Germany. '그 자연이 네게 뭐라고 하니' will have its world premiere at the festival and is expected to be released in South Korea in the first half of this year.