The “Gunche” team. Photo courtesy of|Showbox
The film “Gunche” (directed by Yeon Sang-ho) received a 7-minute standing ovation in Cannes, France.
Invited to the Midnight Screening section of the 79th Cannes Film Festival, “Gunche” successfully wrapped its world-premiere screening at the Grand Theatre Lumiere, which began at 12:50 a.m. local time on May 16 (the night of May 15). With director Yeon Sang-ho, Jun Ji-hyun, Koo Kyo-hwan, Ji Chang-wook, Shin Hyun-been, and Kim Shin-rok in attendance, the more than 2,300 seats at the Grand Theatre Lumiere sold out early, underscoring the fervor for “Gunche”.
As the screening began, the Grand Theatre Lumiere heated up with cheers from the moment the distributor and production company logos appeared, followed by bursts of laughter and gasps throughout. Audiences, witnessing for the first time the birth of a never-before-seen new species, breathed along with the characters at every moment, fully immersed.
When the film ended and the end credits rolled, cheers and applause erupted from the seats. In particular, a standing ovation continued for 7 minutes in the Grand Theatre Lumiere after the screening. In response to the enthusiastic acclaim, director Yeon Sang-ho smiled brightly and offered thanks to the audience, sharing the joy of the first screening with Cannes-goers. The actors who watched the film also expressed overwhelming emotions at the crowd’s cheers that filled the theater. Koo Kyo-hwan responded to the unending applause by striking, like a signature, the eye-covering pose that had already become a hot topic in the trailer, and Jun Ji-hyun, when her name was called and especially loud cheers followed, answered with a moved expression.
Director Yeon Sang-ho said, “It is truly an honor to present ‘Gunche’ at the Cannes Film Festival of my dreams. I think it will become a memory that will remain with me for a very long time as I continue making films,” and, amid continuing applause, added in French, “Merci beaucoup (thank you very much),” expressing his gratitude. That day, Cannes Film Festival executive director Thierry Fremaux drew attention by unusually seeing off the director and actors all the way to the red carpet even after the screening had ended.
Praise from leading festivals and foreign media followed. New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF) president Samuel Jamier (Samuel Jamier) said, “‘Gunche’ introduces a new physical grammar to zombies, is formally innovative, and has gut-rattling tension, making it a work unprecedented in today’s genre cinema,” and NYAFF also selected “Gunche” as its North American premiere opening film to mark its 25th anniversary. The French magazine Trois Couleurs (Trois Couleurs) evaluated, “This well-crafted setup provides the Korean director Yeon Sang-ho, adept in the thriller and horror genres, with a perfect framework to stage intense, precise, and immersive action sequences. At times, it even evokes the world of video games.” Matt Neglia (Matt Neglia), editor of the entertainment awards website Next Best Picture (Next Best Picture), said, “A relentless thrill ride from beginning to end, tremendous genre pleasure.”
Set inside a building locked down by an unidentified outbreak, “Gunche” follows isolated survivors as they face off against the infected who evolve into unpredictable forms. It opens on the 21st.
