Overview

• Park returned to Venice competition for the first time in about two decades with the world premiere of No Other Choice, led by Lee Byung-hun and Son Ye-jin.
• Reports from the Lido cite a standing ovation of six to eight-and-a-half minutes and broadly positive reviews calling the film a sharp, darkly comic satire.
• The film adapts Donald E. Westlake’s The Ax, following a laid-off paper-industry veteran, with Park emphasizing contemporary fears around job insecurity and automated workplaces.
• Neon holds North American rights and Mubi acquired multiple international territories, with CJ ENM financing; the film will open Busan, play Toronto and New York, and release in Korea on September 24.
• Park and co-writer Don McKellar were expelled by the WGA over alleged strike-rule violations, a decision Park disputes as he chooses to focus on the film’s rollout.