Director Hong Sang-soo's 35th feature film NOWHERE TO LAY MY EYES has been invited to the International Competition at the 79th Locarno Film Festival.
Distributor Finecut announced on the 9th that the film received an official invitation and will have its world premiere at the festival, which opens on August 5. A newly released still featuring Kim Min-hee is also drawing major attention.
The 79th Locarno Film Festival, held in August in Locarno, Switzerland, marks Hong's fifth invitation following Our Sunhi (2013), Right Now, Wrong Then (2015), Hotel by the River (2018), and By the Stream (2024). For this new work, Hong took on producing, writing, directing, cinematography, sound recording, editing, and music himself. The cast includes Kim Min-hee, Kwon Hae-hyo, Shin Seok-ho, and Park Mi-so. Notably, Kim Min-hee contributed not only as the lead but also as production manager.
NOWHERE TO LAY MY EYES follows protagonist Sang-hee, who was raised by her grandparents after her parents' divorce, as she travels with her younger brother to Jeju to find their mother who has settled there. The Locarno Film Festival stated, "We were deeply moved by the film's poetic expression and the refined craft that makes it possible. It once again shows why Hong Sang-soo is one of the great masters of our time," explaining the reason for its invitation.
Meanwhile, Hong Sang-soo and Kim Min-hee began their relationship through the 2015 film Right Now, Wrong Then and officially acknowledged an extramarital affair in 2017. In April last year, reports said Kim Min-hee gave birth to Hong's son.