The Korean Film Council has confirmed that Park Chan-wook’s No Other Choice has been selected as South Korea’s submission to the Best International Feature category of the Oscars.
The film has just premiered in competition at Venice Film Festival to rave reviews (see Deadline’s review here). Neon has North American rights to the film, which is financed and produced by Korean studio CJ ENM, reuniting the distributor and studio behind Bong Joon Ho’s multiple Oscars winner Parasite in 2020.
CJ ENM is releasing the film in South Korean cinemas on September 24, which ensures that it comfortably complies with the Oscars’ qualifying rules for theatrical release in the Best International feature category.
The committee that selected the film included producer Kwak Sin-ae (Parasite), producer and president of the Producers’ Guild of Korea Lee Dong-ha (Train To Busan), director Shin Su-won and actor Jang Hye-jin (Parasite).
Among the elements that prompted the committee to select the film, they said it was “considered the most competitive film among all entries, across all criteria” and “a highly polished black comedy, where the protagonist’s antisocial behavior, driven by his desire for home, becomes compelling.” Also it was “the film that stands out for its outstanding quality and excellent performances”.
Lee Byung-hun stars in the film as a man who is driven to desperate measures when he is laid off from his job. The film also stars Son Yejin, Park Hee-soon, Lee Sung-min, Yeom Hye-ran, Cha Seung-won and Yoo Yeon-seok. Michèle Ray Gavras and Alexandre Gavras of France’s KG Productions are on board as producers alongside Park and Back Jisun of Moho Film, with CJ Group’s Miky Lee as executive producer.
Park’s Decision To Leave won best director in Cannes in 2022 and was selected for the Oscars Best International Features shortlist at the end of that year, but didn’t make the final five nominations in that category.