Park Chan-wook's New Film Invited to Venice Film Festival After 13 Years

Director Park Chan-wook's latest film, 'Can't Help It' (어쩔수가없다), has officially been invited to compete at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival, which opens on August 27. This marks the first time a Korean film has been included in the competition since Kim Ki-duk's 'Pietà' won the Golden Lion in 2012.

On July 22, the Venice Film Festival announced that 'Can't Help It' is among 19 films selected for this year's competition. This is Park's second invitation to the Venice competition, following his 2005 film 'Lady Vengeance' (친절한 금자씨).

The film tells the story of a middle-aged man who is suddenly laid off and resorts to a series of murders targeting rival job seekers who threaten his chances of re-employment. It is based on the novel 'The Ax' by American author Donald Westlake and features a star-studded cast including Lee Byung-hun (이병헌), Son Ye-jin (손예진), Park Hee-soon (박희순), Lee Sung-min (이성민), Yeom Hye-ran (염혜란), Cha Seung-won (차승원), and Yoo Yeon-seok (유연석). The film is set to be released in South Korea in September.

Park completed filming in January and expressed his emotions, stating, "I think I started writing the script about 17 years ago. After such a long time, I am overwhelmed to finally finish the film I have always wanted to make."

In addition to 'Can't Help It', the list of films invited to Venice includes 'Poor Things' (부고니아), a remake of the 2003 Korean film 'Save the Green Planet!' (지구를 지켜라!) directed by Jang Joon-hwan (장준환), featuring Emma Stone. 'Poor Things' is co-produced by CJ ENM. Other notable films in the competition include 'Jay Kelly' starring George Clooney and 'Frankenstein' featuring Oscar Isaac, directed by Guillermo del Toro. The jury president for this year's Venice Film Festival is American director Alexander Payne, with the awards ceremony scheduled for September 6, where the Golden Lion winner will be announced.