So-seol-ga-ui yeong-hwa

THE NOVELIST'S FILM follows Junhee, a novelist who has grown disillusioned with writing and sets out to reconnect with people from her past. During a series of encounters across Seoul, she meets old friends, former colleagues and strangers, observing the small gestures and conversations that shape everyday life. One visit leads her to Sewon, a longtime friend who now runs a small bookshop on the outskirts of the city. There she encounters familiar and new faces, including the actress Kilsoo, whom she unexpectedly asks to appear in a film she has begun to imagine. As Junhee moves from one meeting to the next, chance encounters and seemingly casual conversations begin to take on unexpected significance. Rather than searching for dramatic revelations, Junhee becomes increasingly interested in the possibility of simply observing people as they are. Her desire to make a film emerges from these experiences, shaped less by plot than by attention, curiosity and the hope of capturing something genuine. The boundaries between everyday life, artistic creation and self-reflection begin to blur. Shot in luminous black and white, Hong Sang-soo's film unfolds through conversations, pauses and subtle shifts in perspective. Beneath its lightness lies a meditation on friendship, creativity and the search for sincerity in both art and life. THE NOVELIST'S FILM premiered in competition at the Berlin International Film Festival 2022, where it received the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize.