Hong Sang-soo's New Film Invited to Berlin International Film Festival

Hong Sang-soo's 33rd feature film, titled '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, set to take place from February 13 to 23, 2025. The announcement was made by the festival's executive committee during a press conference on January 21, local time.

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). Throughout his career, Hong has garnered several accolades 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, the Silver Bear for Best Screenplay for '인트로덕션' at the 71st, and the Jury Prize for '소설가의 영화' at the 72nd and '여행자의 필요' at the 74th.

In the invitation letter, Tricia Tuttles, the festival's executive director, along with the 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 connections between them, while also being sharply humorous and entertaining at many moments. Congratulations on this film!"

'그 자연이 네게 뭐라고 하니' features actors Ha Sung-koo, Kwon Hae-hyo, and Jo Yoon-hee, who have previously collaborated with Hong. The film 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 Berlin International Film Festival will showcase '그 자연이 네게 뭐라고 하니' as its world premiere, with a domestic release planned for the first half of this year. Additionally, there is significant interest surrounding whether Hong Sang-soo will attend the festival alongside actress Kim Min-hee, who is reportedly pregnant after a decade-long relationship with him.