Actress Kim Min-hee and director Hong Sang-soo have made their first joint official appearance since reportedly welcoming their son last year, appearing together at the 79th Locarno International Film Festival in Switzerland.
The pair attended an official Q&A session for Hong Sang-soo’s latest film, Nowhere to Lay My Eyes, on August 14 local time. Kim Min-hee stars in the film and also participated as a production manager, while Hong Sang-soo directed the project.
During the event, the two sat side by side and answered questions from the audience and members of the press. Hong sang-soo discussed his directing intentions and the filmmaking process, while Kim Min-hee spoke about her character and the film in a calm and composed manner.
Kim Min-hee’s appearance drew particular attention as it marked her first official Q&A event since giving birth to a son last year. Videos from the event showed Kim Min-hee and Hong Sang-soo sitting together and discussing the film.
Kim Min-hee appeared relaxed and smiled naturally as she interacted with the audience and spoke about the project. Hong Sang-soo, meanwhile, remained composed throughout the session and answered questions about the film and its production. The appearance marks another significant moment in the pair’s long-running professional relationship, which has frequently drawn attention both in Korea and internationally.
Nowhere to Lay My Eyes follows Sang-hee, a woman who was raised by her grandparents following her parents’ divorce. She travels to Jeju Island with her younger brother in search of their mother. Kim Min-hee takes on the lead role in the film. Hong Sang-soo handled the film’s direction, screenplay, cinematography, editing and music. The film has been selected for the International Competition section of the 79th Locarno International Film Festival, putting it in contention for one of the festival’s major awards.
Kim Min-hee and Hong Sang-soo first met while working on the 2015 film Right Now, Wrong Then. Their relationship became public in 2017, when the two acknowledged that they were in a romantic relationship during a press screening for On the Beach at Night Alone. Since then, the actress and director have continued to collaborate on numerous films. They were also reported to have welcomed a son last year.
Their latest appearance together at Locarno therefore attracted considerable attention, particularly because it was their first joint official public event since the birth of their child.
Hong Sang-soo has a particularly strong history with the Locarno Film Festival. In 2015, he won the festival’s top prize, the Golden Leopard, for Right Now, Wrong Then. Kim Min-hee also has a recent connection to the festival, having won the Best Performance award last year for her role in By the Stream. This year, Nowhere to Lay My Eyes returns Hong Sang-soo and Kim Min-hee to the festival’s International Competition lineup, once again putting their latest collaboration in the spotlight.
With the film now competing at Locarno, attention is turning to whether Hong Sang-soo and Kim Min-hee will add another major festival honor to their long history with the event.
Sources: Netizenbuzz