Actor Lee Jungjae made his debut as a film director amid a standing ovation from 3,000 viewers who filled GRAND THEATRE LUMIERE, the main theater of the Cannes Film Festival. Actor Lee Jungjae, a representative star for nearly 30 years in Korean films, wrote and directed the film Hunt, and Actor Jung Woosung, who has been friends with Lee for 23 years, participated in the lead role. Hunt was officially invited to the non-competition Midnight Screening section at the 75th Cannes Film Festival and screened as World Premiere at midnight (local time in France) on May 20.
Hunt is going to be screened 4 times in total at the Cannes Film Festival, and as of May 20, all the tickets have been sold out. Those who couldn’t get the tickets gathered on the ‘LAST MINUTE’ line (an admission system you can get the remaining seats after the ticket holders enter the theater) two hours before the movie begins, forming a long queue. 10 minutes before the screening, cheers poured out when Lee Jungjae and Jung Woosung appeared on the red carpet in front of the GRAND THEATRE LUMIERE. Fans holding a photo of 'Gihun' in Squid Game and requesting an autograph were also noticed. Hong Jeongin, CEO of the distributor Megabox Plus M, Executive Lee Jungse, and Han Jaeduk, CEO of the production company Sanai Pictures also stood on the red carpet together with the actors.
Hunt depicts a story that takes place when ‘Park Pyongho’ and ‘Kim Jungdo,’ the special agents of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency, who suspect each other to find hidden spies in the organization, face a huge incident called ‘Korea's No. 1 assassination operation.’ The unveiled Hunt contains both stylish and thrilling ‘actions’ and ‘spy drama’ that raises tension through reasoning and tracking until the end. Especially, the chemistry stood out between Lee Jungjae and Jung Woosung, who worked together for the first time in 23 years after City of The Rising Sun. On top of that, it is another fun to watch the special appearances of the actors representing Korean films.
As the ending credit went up, the audience began to stand up one by one and applauded and cheered. In a standing ovation that lasted about 7 minutes, Lee Jungjae and Jung Woosung embraced each other passionately. Grabbing the microphone, Lee Jungjae thanked the audience with a flush on his face, saying, "Thank you, Merci beaucoup."
Hunt, released for the first time in the world through the 75th Cannes Film Festival, is scheduled to be released in the summer of 2022.