Korean director Hong Sang-soo’s film “Hill of Freedom” will be competing at the Venice Film Festival in the “Horizons Sections,” dedicated to a score of cutting-edge films, the festival’s organizers said Thursday as they unveiled this year’s lineup.
The film depicts a Japanese man, played by Japanese actor Kase Ryo, who visits Korea to track down his bygone love. Korean actress Moon So-ri (“Oasis”) and actor Kim Eui-sung star in the film.
Three other Korean films have been invited for the noncompeting section.
The official poster of film “Hill of Freedom.” (Cluecian)
Im Kwon-taek’s “Make-up” will be screening in the “Out-of-Competition” section, marking Im’s fourth invitation to the festival.
Kim Ki-duk’s “One on One” will open the Venice Days section, an independent sidebar of the Venice Film Festival, similar to the Cannes Director’s Fortnight. Kim previously won the festival’s top prize, the Golden Lion, in 2012 for “Pieta.”
Korean-American director So Yong Kim’s “Spark and Light” will also screen in the Venice Days section.
The Venice Film Festival, regarded as one of the most prestigious international film festivals along with those of Cannes and Berlin, will run from Aug. 27 to Sept. 6 at Lido Island in Venice.
By Ahn Sung-mi (sahn@heraldcorp.com)