Park Chan-wookunemployment revenge satire”No other choice” left Venice Film Festival awards, to the chagrin of many, empty-handed. But the Neon release, and the company’s second partnership with the Korean director since the 2023 re-release of “Oldboy,” has picked up momentum at subsequent festivals. Starring Lee Byung-hun as a paper processing expert who hatches a dark plan to become the only standing specialist in his field, “No other choice” won the International Audience Award in Toronto.
As of earlier this week, the film is too up to three Gotham Awards: Best International Film, Best Adapted Screenplay and Outstanding Lead Performance for Lee. But as announced on Thursday, October 30th, Park Chan-wook will be getting one next SF MOVIE tribute in San Francisco, at SFMOMA, on November 20 with a personal conversation and screening of “No Other Choice.” The event will take place at the Phyllis Wattis Theatre.
“With ‘No Other Choice,’ director Park returns to the satirical tone seen in ‘Sympathy for Lady Vengeance’ and ‘Stoker.’ He spent 20 years making this film, a dark comedy about a man desperate to join the workforce at any cost,” said Jessie Fairbanks, SFFILM’s director of programming. “I am proud to celebrate Director Park with this SFFILM Presents Tribute 2025 for both his work and this new contribution. ‘No Other Choice’ is another shining example of Park’s visual elegance and his idiosyncratic reflections on capitalism, modern masculinity and technological advancement.”
Executive Director Anne Lai added, “With the roots of our organization firmly planted in bringing international films to audiences here in the Bay, it is a profound honor to welcome and celebrate Park Chan-wook. The experience of being in a theater to not only hear from a master filmmaker, but to see his latest film, is sure to be a special one for audiences both new and familiar with his amazing work.”
The tribute is part of the SFFILM arts organization’s annual screening series, SFFILM Presents, which provides early, exclusive access to first-hand films for Bay Area audiences. The SFFILM Presents series also features awards and tribute programs, including the SF Honors and Sloan Science in Cinema Prize, which this year goes to Guillermo del Toro for “Frankenstein” on Wednesday, November 12.
“No Other Choice” opens in theaters from Neon on December 25.
