Director Hong Sang-soo’s latest film, “By The Stream,” has been invited to the international competition section of the 77th Locarno Film Festival held in Switzerland.

“By The Stream” is Hong’s fourth film to be invited to the festival, following his previous works “Our Sunhi” (2013), “Right Now, Wrong Then” (2015) and “Hotel By The River” (2018).

All three of his previous works invited to the festival won an award. “Right Now, Wrong Then” won the Golden Leopard award, the top honor of the festival’s international competition section, in 2015.

Hong's 32nd feature film, "By The Stream," centers around an instructor at a women’s university who asks her uncle, who hasn’t been able to work for years, to help produce a small play created by her department's students.

The film features actors Kim Min-hee, Kwon Hae-hyo, Jo Yoon-hee and Ha Seong-guk.

“By The Stream” is slated to hit local theaters during the latter part of this year after its world premiere at the festival.

Established in 1946, the Locarno Film Festival is an annual international film festival held in August in Switzerland and is famed for presenting experimental and auteur films.

The festival will take place from Aug. 7 to 17.

BY KIM JI-YE [kim.jiye@joongang.co.kr]