Director Yeon Sang-ho’s new film Colony pulled back the curtain a day before release, sending anticipation soaring.
On the 20th, a screening and press Q&A for Colony was held at CGV Yongsan I’Park Mall in Seoul, with director Yeon Sang-ho and actors Jun Ji-hyun, Koo Kyo-hwan, Ji Chang-wook, Kim Shin-rok, and Shin Hyun-bin in attendance to discuss the film.
Colony follows survivors trapped inside a locked-down building as they face off against infected people who evolve in real time. Speaking about the project, Yeon said, "I conceived it while thinking about an era ruled by AI and collective intelligence," adding, "In a world where individuality is losing power, I wanted to ask what it means to be human."
Jun Ji-hyun returns to the big screen after 11 years as Kwon Se-jung, the central axis of the survivors. "Because she’s a professor, it would feel odd if she were overly action-heavy, so I held back a lot," Jun explained. "I focused on making it natural for audiences to follow Se-jung’s choices."
Koo Kyo-hwan makes a bold transformation as Seo Young-chul, who triggers the outbreak. "I portrayed his communion with the infected through eye blinks and subtle facial tremors," he said. Yeon jokingly called it "magnesium action," sending the room into laughter. Ji Chang-wook added, "The zombie makeup and the movement itself were astonishing," crediting the actors who played the infected.
Premiering earlier in the Cannes Film Festival’s Midnight Screening section, Colony drew a rousing standing ovation and set social media abuzz. The cast shared, "We want to deliver the energy we felt in Cannes to Korean audiences." Yeon echoed the sentiment: "Screening in Cannes was great, but watching it together for the first time in Korea feels even better," he said, expressing his affection for the film.
After Train to Busan and Peninsula, Yeon returns to the infection genre, this time aiming to unleash a new terror: evolving zombies. Colony opens tomorrow (the 21st).