Zero.

That's the number of Korean feature films invited to this year's Cannes Film Festival, sending a jolt to the country's cinema industry which was still basking in the global acclaim earned by directors like Bong Joon-ho and Park Chan-wook.

This was the first time in 26 years that Korean feature films failed to secure a slot in either an official or non-official category at Cannes.


On Tuesday, the festival announced its lineup for the sidebar sections — Directors' Fortnight and Critics' Week — but once again, no Korean feature films were included, following the earlier news of zero selections in the festival’s official categories.

The last time Korean feature films were absent from the official section was in 2013, although director Moon Byoung-gon’s short film “Safe” did win the Palme d'Or for Best Short Film that year.

Before this year's event, Korean films had been consistently introduced at the annual French film festival since 1984, beginning with director Lee Doo-yong’s film “Spinning the Tales of Cruelty towards Women," except for once in 1999.

For the past decade or so, Korea's film industry achieved some remarkable feats such as Bong receiving the Palme d'Or at the 2019 Cannes for “Parasite” (2019), becoming the first to receive the prestigious award in Korea's feature film history.

Korea's film industry has been lead by a select, collect few — referred to as BongParkHongLee — shorthand for Korea’s four iconic auteurs: Bong Joon-ho, Park Chan-wook, Hong Sang-soo and Lee Chang-dong who earned recognition at overseas film festivals.

In the wake of the shocking announcement, renewed questions are being raised about the state of the Korean film industry and its struggles to nurture the next generation of film talent.

So the question remains: Will there ever be another director like Korea's top four?

No room to show

Korea has an active audience and global box office market, ranking No. 9 in the global theatrical market based on box office earnings, with $875 million (1.24 trillion won) in revenue last year, according to the Korean Film Council’s 2025 report.

Despite this feat, experts note that the industry has little room to spare for taking creative risks or breaking away from the conventional grammar of mainstream blockbusters. Korea's box office screens are mostly dominated by major distributors like CJ ENM or Lotte Entertainment which are more keen to produce films that are likely to be a box office hit, rather than zoning in on smaller ones.

“Problems like screen monopoly or the difficulty indie and art-house films face in getting screen time aren’t anything new,” culture critic Sung Sang-min said. “These issues have remained unresolved [for some period], despite continued support efforts.”

Screen monopoly is a recurring issue in Korea, which leaves little to no room for smaller films to be shown, causing many of them to slip under the radar and go unrecognized.

“While many people may only watch one or two films a year in theaters, if the same few movies are always being shown, they’re unlikely to even realize that other films exist,” Sung said. “And even if they do, it's not easy for them to actually see those films.”

“As a result, even if the film industry grows in size, its domestic ecosystem ends up shrinking.”

In addition, for new filmmakers to thrive, the film community must not only offer a diverse range of works but also ensure accessibility to audiences, creating a synergistic effect.

However, one of Korea’s biggest challenges is the heavily centralized film environment in the capital area. Theaters specializing in indie and art-house films — where many new filmmakers typically get their start — are largely concentrated in Seoul, with 32 out of the country’s 68 such theaters, or 47.1 percent, located in the city.

As a result, both filmmakers and audiences face a “much tougher environment once they step outside of Seoul,” according to critics.

Ultimately, for new filmmakers to grow, their films need to be seen. But when indie theaters are mostly clustered in Seoul, it poses a long-term risk to the ecosystem, as regional audiences have limited access to these films — a state of affairs that could eventually lead to declining interest in the genre altogether. To prevent this, experts emphasize the need to develop strong film communities across the country.

“What matters is that a wider range of films can find their way onto screens,” Sung said. “And from there, some directors might get good responses, build their names, and continue to grow.”

Time will tell, patience is needed

It is true that Korea hasn't seen new filmmakers that have earned global acclaim as much as the big four and due to the aforementioned circumstances it may be true that Korea has been a bit slow to develop.

Experts, however, note that being slow doesn't mean no progress and that the international accolades do not directly reflect the actual Korean film industry environment and state, seeing them as “separate” issues.

There is no one who succeeds right from the very beginning. Bong, for instance, didn’t gain full recognition until his 2003 film “Memories of Murder” was released, nearly a decade after his debut short film “White Collar” in 1994.

Likewise, it was not until 2000 that Park made his breakthrough, with his film “Joint Security Area,” after his directorial debut in 1992 with “The Moon is What the Sun Dreams of,” which garnered only 99 moviegoers.

With that in mind, critics noted the importance of maintaining an open mind toward new directors, creating an environment where they can receive feedback and have the opportunity to get back on the horse, even if they fumble their first attempt. They also call for a broader openness toward a variety of independent and art-house films.

“In many cases, even when a new director gets lucky with funding and manages to make a film that draws attention, there’s very little system in place to help them make their next project,” Sung said.

“The directors who get recognized internationally aren’t usually just those who excel at mainstream films — they’re the ones who have their own distinctive voice and style,” he added. “And for that signature style to develop, it often happens through indie or art-house projects, not commercial ones.”

As of Friday, director Joung Yu-mi’s animated short film “Glasses” was invited to the Cannes Film Festival’s Critics’ Week short film competition — a sidebar section of the festival. The film is the first to be invited to this year’s film festival.

Updated, April 18, 2025: Added information and details about a Korean short film that was invited to the 78th Cannes Film Festival as of Friday.

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