‘Decision’ Cannes Win is Vindication for Korean Culture, a Tight Group of Friends and the Corporation That Backed Them Over Two Decades

Coming only three years after the Palme d’Or for “Parasite,” the two Cannes prizes for Park Chan-wook as best director and for Song Kang-ho as best actor are further proof of the strength of Korean cinema’s originality, its elevated skills and its resilience.Korean movies have been temporarily overshadowed by K-pop and Korean TV dramas – think BTS and “Squid Game” – both of which flourished during the Covid era, while Korean film was struck down by the pandemic.Closed cinemas and disrupted release schedules meant that the film sector was not fully able to capitalize on the 2019 Cannes and multiple Oscar successes of “Parasite” and “Minari.” Korean film producers’ revenues crumbled between 2020 and early 2022.

Talent from in front of and behind the camera shifted across to the more vibrant streaming sector.The Cannes prize for Park’s “Decision to Leave” is particularly satisfying for a core group of filmmakers,

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