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Photo courtesy of Yonhap News |
[Alpha Biz= Paul Lee] SEOUL, July 23, 2025 – CJ ENM announced that two of its productions – No Other Choice, the latest film by renowned Korean director Park Chan-wook, and Bugonia, the Hollywood remake of Save the Green Planet! directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, have been officially selected for the competition section of the 82nd Venice International Film Festival.
This marks the first time in Korean film history that two films from the same investment and distribution company have been invited to Venice’s main competition in the same year. With these selections, CJ ENM sets a new record of nine total films invited to the prestigious festival, the most for any Korean investor-distributor.
On July 22 (local time), the Venice Film Festival announced No Other Choice as one of the 21 competition titles. This is the first Korean film to be selected for the Venice competition since the late Kim Ki-duk’s Pietà in 2012. It also marks director Park Chan-wook’s return to the competition 20 years after Sympathy for Lady Vengeance (2005).
Previously, Park was invited to Venice in 2004 with Three, Monster in the Midnight section, and in 2005, Sympathy for Lady Vengeance won three awards: the Young Lion Award, Cinema of the Future, and Best Innovated Film.
Park commented on the latest invitation, saying, “Completing the film and receiving an invitation to Venice after such a long journey makes me feel that it was right not to give up on this project.”
Lead actor Lee Byung-hun shared, “I’m very much looking forward to seeing the final version.”
Son Ye-jin, who also stars in the film, said, “It is truly an honor to have my first international film festival be Venice.”
CJ ENM’s Head of Film Business Jung Hyun-joo said, “It is incredibly meaningful to have both No Other Choice and Bugonia invited to the competition section. We hope these films will bring renewed vitality to the Korean film industry and we will continue making bold efforts to drive sustainable success in the global market.”
No Other Choice is slated for release in Korea this September. Starring Lee Byung-hun and Son Ye-jin, the film follows Mansoo, a middle-aged man who suddenly loses his job and is pushed to extreme measures to protect his family and regain employment. The story is based on the novel The Ax by Donald E. Westlake.
AlphaBIZ Paul Lee(hoondork1977@alphabiz.co.kr)
