‘Gunche’ red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival. AP=Yonhap News

The Lumiere Grand Theatre in Cannes, France, was filled with the cheers of 2,300 audience members. The new zombie film ‘Gunche’ by director Yeon Sang-ho had its world premiere in the Midnight Screening at the 79th Cannes International Film Festival, eliciting an explosive response.

According to Yonhap News, around midnight on the 16th (local time), when the ‘Gunche’ team stepped onto the red carpet, the scene turned festive. In particular, Park Chan-wook, president of the Competition jury at the Cannes Film Festival, together with executive director Thierry Fremaux, personally welcomed director Yeon Sang-ho and leads Jeon Ji-hyun, Koo Kyo-hwan, Ji Chang-wook, and Shin Hyun-bin, drawing attention. When the breathless 122-minute screening ended at 2:53 a.m., the audience unleashed a standing ovation and cheers that continued for a full five minutes.

■“Forget zombies that only bite”…‘evolved zombies’ that share intelligence

‘Gunche’ is the third zombie film from director Yeon Sang-ho, following ‘Train to Busan’ and ‘Peninsula’. In a giant urban shopping mall where a mass infection breaks out, biotech scientist Kwon Se-jeong (Jeon Ji-hyun), security officer Hyun-seok (Ji Chang-wook), and his older sister Hyun-hee (Kim Shin-rok) wage a desperate battle to obtain a vaccine.

Poster for the film ‘Gunche’. Courtesy of Showbox

The most dizzying viewing point of this film is the zombies’ ‘collective intelligence’. Unlike conventional zombies that only charge like beasts, these ones share intelligence with one another and evolve in real time. The grotesque image of zombies simultaneously gaping at the sky as if ‘updating’ data serves up a different level of taut terror for the audience.

At the center of the crisis stands a distinctive villain, biologist Dr. Seo Young-chul (Koo Kyo-hwan). Fanatically convinced that turning humans into zombies is ‘evolution toward collective intelligence’, he hums as if enjoying a game by himself while commanding the zombies amid the blood-soaked chaos. His warped creed that “all human tragedy comes from the imperfection of communication” contrasts with the relationship between Kwon Se-jeong and Seol-hee (Shin Hyun-bin), who communicate perfectly with few words, leaving a weighty message that ‘human individuality is humanity itself’.

2026 Cannes Film Festival ‘Gunche’ red carpet. Reuters=Yonhap News.

■A ‘zombie update’ relay that took over the streets of Cannes

The film’s powerful afterglow spilled beyond the theater. Global audiences, unable to hide their excitement, created an extraordinary scene on the streets of Cannes by cheerfully imitating the zombies’ signature ‘update’ move. London May, a viewer from the United States, said, “The facial expressions and gestures of the villain character were so intense that I do not think I will forget them,” lavishing praise on Koo Kyo-hwan.

Right after the screening, director Yeon Sang-ho expressed his overwhelming feelings, saying it was an honor to present the work again at the Cannes he had dreamed of. Confronted with the zombie performances pouring onto the streets, he added, “That is exactly the sight I most wanted to see,” unable to hide his emotion. The return of the ‘Yeon Sang-ho-style zombie’ is once again sending the heart rates of film fans around the world racing.