With only two days to go, this year's Cannes Film Festival is beginning to wind down.
The big films have screened, the stars have made their appearances and everyone is waiting
with bated breath to see who will pick up the coveted Palme d'Or on the Croisette this
year.
A few bookies favorites from Cannes regulars have emerged over the week but there's still
plenty of room for surprises.
While none of the Korean films at the festival are competing for the top prize this year,
a few of them have made a very strong impression with top film critics from around the world
in the South of France.
Here to guide us through the top picks at Cannes and the success of Korean films at
the festival is film critic Pierce Conran.
So, we're heading towards the finale of the 11-day run in the French Riviera...
We want to get a feel of what it's been like so far...
now, Pierce...
Cannes has notoriously tough audiences.
There's a culture of people booing at the end of a film... rather than jeers and whistles,
aren't there?
There have been a number of standing ovations and some scatters of boos but it doesn't
seem like Cannes has presented films that have been roundly rejected, as has happened
in previous years.
Ryan Gosling's debut as a filmmaker, Lost River, got a pretty cool reaction but even
then plenty of people had good things to say about it.
So among the well-liked films, what are the strong contenders for the Palme d'Or this
year?
Well, the Turkish film Winter Sleep, from Nuri Bilge Ceylan, screened early in the fest
and was very well received.
At almost 200 minutes it's quite a long film but critics have described it as an epic story
that is a richly engrossing experience.
However, the odds-on favorite at this year's Cannes film festival appears to be Two Days,
One Night then new film from the art-house powerhouse directors the Dardennes Brothers
who have previously won the Palm d'Or twice.
If they were to win a third time, this film, starring Marillon Cotillard, the film would
give them the most Palme d'Or of any director in the festival's histor.
However, this fact may hurt their chances.
Aside from the top prize, are any films garnering a lot of buzz for acting awards?
For best actor the race seems to be Steve Carell's to lose following his lauded performance
in Foxcatcher, in which he appeared almost unrecognizable.
However Timothy Spall also received rave reviews for his leading role in Mike Leigh's Mr. Turner
but that was early in the fest and the race has changed since then.
Marillon Cotillard is also a frontrunner for Best Actress.
Hilary Swank, the lead actress from Tommy Lee Jones western The Homesman, has also been
strongly touted for the award.
A lot of big films drawing notice in the competition.
Despite this, have any Korean film manages to make an impression?
Definitely.
The first Korean film to screen was the thriller A Hard Day, screening in the
Director's Fortnight section.
Every single review of the film has been a rave.
The film is been praised for its taut and breathless pacing, tough action, dark humor
and general technical skill.
Though no deal has been struck as of yet, there is plenty of talk of an impending remake.
The next day July Jung's debut film A Girl at My Door, starring Bae Doo-na, Kim Sae-ron
and Song Sae-byeok, debuted in the Un Certain Regard section.
The film has drawn many comparisons to the previous works of its producer Lee Snag-dong
but in particular the performances have been widely praises and the film's artistry and
hard-hitting subject matter have taken many critics by surprise.
Reviews for the action thriller The Target have been less enthusiastic.
Based on a French thriller called Point Blank from 2010, the
film has been popular here in Korea but did not connect as well with critics in France.
Anything else to report from the Croisette?
Festival director Thierry Fremaux was honored by the South Korean government during the
'Korean Film Night' that was staged by the Korean film Council and the Ministry for Culture,
Sports and Tourism during the festival.
He was given a special medal in recognition for his contributions to the advancement of
Korean cinema abroad.
Meanwhile, popular star Song Hye-kyo visited the Croisette
to promote her new film, the Chinese blockbuster The Crossing from director
John Woo.
She took part in
a press conference for the hotly anticipated
film which is expected to be released this winter.
Well, a few more days to enjoy the red carpet, the
sun, the stars and, of course, brilliant films... and although we couldn't be there on the ground
to feel all the glamor, thanks to you it doesn't feel like we've missed out on much at all.
Thanks, Pierce for a great two-week coverage and looking forward to another exciting REEL
talk next week.