Smugglers’ film distributor NEW announced that the film’s director Ryoo Seung-wan and cast Yum Jung-ah and Park Jung-min will attend this year’s Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) set on September 7 to 17.
NEW confirmed the actors and director’s attendance at the festival for the film’s screening at TIFF’s main section, the Gala Presentation. Originally, the film was invited for the Special Presentation section but was since shifted to the main event.
TIFF said through NEW, “Considering the remarkable potential and enthusiastic response that ‘Smugglers’ has been receiving, we have carefully decided to extend the invitation to ‘Smugglers’ for the Gala section. Moreover, we are pleased to invite the actors together. We are delighted and excited to brighten the TIFF stage through the collaboration with ‘Smugglers.'”
Helmed by director Ryoo, the movie follows the story of a group of “haenyeo,” or female divers, in a small fishing town in the 1970s. Played by Kim Hye-soo, Yum Jung-ah, and Go Min-si, the divers who had a peaceful life making ends meet by collecting marine products find themselves embroiled in a high-stakes smuggling scheme, threatening their livelihoods and town.
“Smugglers” accumulated an astounding 4.7 million ticket sales and topped the South Korean box office for 14 consecutive days since its premiere. It was also invited to the 76th Locarno Film Festival as part of its midsummer movie event, Piazza Grande.
Two more films join Smugglers at the Toronto International Film Festival. Director Um Tae-Hwa’s blockbuster disaster film, “Concrete Utopia,” will screen at the TIFF’s Gala Presentation. The director and its cast members, Lee Byung-hun, Park Seo-Joon, and Park Bo-young, will attend the festival.
Director Hur Jin-Ho’s upcoming drama film “A Normal Family,” the Korean adaptation of Dutch author Herman Koch’s international bestseller “The Dinner,” will also have a world premiere at the festival and screen at the Gala Presentation. The director and the film’s lead actors, Sol Kyung-gu, Jang Dong-gun, Kim Hee-ae, and Claudia Kim, will also attend the festival.
Source: Korea Times
