Boos, claps, and whistles erupted from the audience when the Netflix logo rolled onto the screen minutes after the film’s press screening began at Lumiere Theater in Cannes, France, at 8:30 a.m. (Image: Yonhap)
CANNES, France, May 19 (Korea Bizwire) – The press screening of South Korean director Bong Joon-ho’s “Okja” at the Cannes Film Festival was temporarily stopped on Friday (local time) due to jeers from the audience opposing the Netflix-invested title’s presence at this year’s event.
Boos, claps, and whistles erupted from the audience when the Netflix logo rolled onto the screen minutes after the film’s press screening began at Lumiere Theater in Cannes, France, at 8:30 a.m.
As the noise continued to interrupt the screening, the lights were turned on and the screening was stopped at about 8:38 a.m.
The screening resumed at about 8:49 a.m. after the festival authority showed out the reporters who caused the disturbance.
Cannes recently changed its rules to exclude films without a commitment for French theatrical release from next year, facing strong protests from the local film industry against the Netflix movie’s advance to the competition category of the 70th edition of the festival.
Co-written by Bong and Jon Ronson of “Frank,” Okja follows a girl from a rural town who risks everything to prevent a multinational company from kidnapping a massive animal named Okja.
Cannes recently changed its rules to exclude films without a commitment for French theatrical release from next year, facing strong protests from the local film industry against the Netflix movie’s advance to the competition category of the 70th edition of the festival. (Image: Yonhap)
The sci-fi film was co-produced by three Hollywood studios — Plan B, Lewis Pictures and Kate Street Picture Company — while Netflix covered the film’s entire budget of US$50 million.
It stars Tilda Swinton, Jake Gyllenhaal of “Nightcrawler” and “Everest,” and Paul Dano of “Love & Mercy” and “12 Years a Slave,” and has Korean actors such as An Seo-hyun, Byun Hee-bong, Choi Woo-shik and Yoon Je-moon among its cast.’
(Yonhap)
