BIFF selects Park Chan-wook's 'No Other Choice' for 30th anniversary opening film
Published: 04 Aug. 2025, 11:48
Updated: 04 Aug. 2025, 12:09
![A still from ″No Other Choice″ [BUSAN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/08/04/b3e0d3dd-9f04-49fd-a7f5-fe2a891bbcfe.jpg)
A still from ″No Other Choice″ [BUSAN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL]
Park Chan-wook's upcoming film, "No Other Choice," will open this year's Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), organizers said Monday.
Marking its 30th anniversary this year, BIFF said it chose the film because it "embodies what audiences most hope to see — a film that can reinvigorate Korean cinema at this pivotal moment."
Selecting a work by the Korean auteur shows "heartfelt respect and support for contemporary Korean cinema," it added.
Based on the mystery novel "The Ax" (1997) by American writer Donald E. Westlake, "No Other Choice" is a dark thriller following Man-soo, a middle-aged man who, after being suddenly fired from a paper company, becomes determined to find a new job and deals with those standing in his way.
Lee Byung-hun, who will host BIFF's opening ceremony, stars as Man-soo, while actress Son Ye-jin, known for the popular TV series "Crash Landing on You" (2019-20) and the movie "The Negotiation" (2018), plays his cheerful and mentally strong wife, A-ra.
"No Other Choice" marks the acclaimed director's first project in three years since "Decision to Leave" (2022), which won him the Best Director award at the Cannes Film Festival that year.
It has been invited to compete for the prestigious Golden Lion at this year's Venice International Film Festival, slated for Aug. 27 to Sept. 9.
The 30th Busan International Film Festival will run from Sept. 17 to 26.
Yonhap
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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