Following last Friday’s news that Hill of Freedom and Revivre, the new works by Korean auteurs IM Kwon-taek and HONG Sangsoo, would be having their world premieres at the 71st Venice International Film Festival next month, the titles have also been announced as part of the Toronto International Film Festival’s (TIFF) second wave.

 

Programmed in the Masters section, dedicated to new films from the world’s most influential arthouse directors, the films mark the 102nd and 16th outings for directors IM and HONG. Revivre stars screen legend AHN Sung-ki as a middle-aged man who embarks on an affair with a younger woman (KIM Gyu-ri) while his ailing wife (KIM Ho-jong) is confined to her bed. It is IM first film since 2011’s Hanji. Featuring Japanese star KASE Ryo as a man who travels to Korea to reconnect with a past love, played by MOON So-ri, HONG’s Hill of Freedom comes a year after Our Sunhi, which earned the cineaste the Silver Leopard for Best Director at the Locarno International Film Festival.

 

The films join Haemoo, the debut film of SHIM Sung-bo, co-written and executive produced by Bong Joon Ho, which was announced as one of TIFF’s Gala Presentations last week. All three titles are repped internationally by Finecut. Many more sections are still to be announced, including the ‘City to City’ spotlight, which this year focuses on Seoul. The Toronto International Film Festival will take place from September 4th to 14th.