'COLONY' Receives 7-Minute Standing Ovation, Ji Chang Wook and Jun Ji Hyun Highlighted at Cannes

The film Colony officially had its world premiere in the Midnight Screening category at the 79th Cannes Film Festival. The screening took place at the Grand Théâtre Lumière, Cannes, France, on the 16th local time. The film was screened about 30 minutes later than the original schedule. With a duration of approximately 122 minutes, Colony immediately captured the attention of the international audience from the start of the screening.

Before the screening began, a long queue was visible outside the cinema building. Many young viewers and Korean Wave fans arrived early to secure the best seats. One audience member from Shanghai even claimed to have obtained a ticket because he is a fan of Ji Chang-wook. From the atmosphere observed, the presence of the main cast indeed became a unique attraction in this premiere screening.

After the film finished screening at around 3:00 AM, the audience immediately gave a thunderous applause. The standing ovation lasted for about five to seven minutes in the Grand Lumiere Theater, which was filled with more than 2,300 spectators. Yeon Sang-ho, along with Jun Ji-hyun, Ji Chang-wook, Koo Kyo-hwan, Shin Hyun-bin, and Kim Shin-rock, were seen smiling while greeting the audience. This warm response became one of the most talked-about moments from the screening of Colony at Cannes this year.

Colony is Yeon Sang-ho's third zombie film after Train to Busan and Peninsula. All three works have successfully entered the Cannes Film Festival. For Yeon Sang-ho, Colony also marks his fourth invitation to Cannes in his career. Previously, he attended with Train to Busan, Peninsula, and the Netflix series Hellbound.

This film tells the story of a biological attack carried out by Seo Young-cheol, a biologist played by Koo Kyo-hwan. He injects a contagious bacteria into the CEO of a biotech company during a presentation in Seoul. The infection turns the skyscraper into a place full of zombies. Survivors like the characters Jun Ji-hyun, Ji Chang-wook, Kim Shin-rok, and Go Soo must survive while waiting for help to arrive.

One of the most captivating aspects for viewers is the new zombie concept in Colony. The zombies in this film are depicted as having a shared consciousness network that allows them to move like a collective organism. This concept enables the zombies to learn and adapt while hunting humans. Observations show that this element sets it apart from previous Korean zombie films.

This film also features zombie choreography that is different from the usual. The movements of the zombies are designed to resemble a contemporary dance performance with an acrobatic feel. To create this effect, as many as 20 professional dancers were involved in the choreography as well as acting. Yeon Sang-ho indeed requested the involvement of the best contemporary dancers in Korea to enhance the film's visuals.

Director Park Chan-wook, who is this year's jury president at Cannes, also attended the first screening of Colony. He was seen welcoming guests alongside Thierry Fremaux on the red carpet. After watching the film, Park Chan-wook praised Yeon Sang-ho by calling his film "extraordinary." This praise further strengthened the positive response to Colony during the festival.

Yeon Sang-ho admitted feeling honored to showcase Colony at Cannes. He mentioned that the audience's support would be an important memory in his journey as a filmmaker. Meanwhile, Colony is scheduled to complete its entire Cannes agenda before officially screening in South Korea on May 21. Let's read articles about other recommended Korean films on Kapanlagi.com. If not now, when, KapanLagi?