Actress Kim Min-hee and director Hong Sang-soo made their first official public appearance together since the birth of their child, attending the 79th Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland on August 13, 2026. The duo stepped out for the international competition screening of Hong’s 35th feature film, titled 눈 둘 데가 없네.
Here is the kicker.
The Bottom Line
- The Milestone: Kim Min-hee and Hong Sang-soo attended the 79th Locarno Film Festival on August 13, 2026, marking their first joint public appearance since welcoming a son in April 2024.
- The Project: The film bringing them to the Swiss Alps is 눈 둘 데가 없네, Hong’s 35th feature, where Kim stars as the lead character Sang-hee and serves as a production general manager.
- The Reality of Production: During the post-screening audience discussion, Kim detailed the realities of shooting while nursing and preparing weaning food on location.
Balancing Set Life and Motherhood in the Swiss Spotlight
The 79th Locarno Film Festival, running as one of Europe’s most venerable cinematic gatherings alongside Cannes, Berlin, and Venice, provided an international stage for the couple’s return. According to festival coverage, 눈 둘 데가 없네 was selected for the international competition category, drawing crowds for its screening and subsequent Q&A session.
For Kim, the journey to Switzerland was as much about motherhood as it was about art. During the post-screening discussion, she opened up about the logistical balancing act of filming. “The baby came along to the shooting locations, so I had to breastfeed and make weaning food right there as my very first tasks of the day,” Kim shared during the festival stream.
Rather than draining her creative energy, Kim noted that the shift grounded her approach. She explained that she woke up bustling to handle infant preparations first, noting that her old habits of obsessing entirely and solely over a role naturally gave way. “After finishing everything for the baby first, I did my best for the film, and that state felt very healthy,” she reflected.
A Deep Creative Partnership on and off Screen
The collaboration on 눈 둘 데가 없네 highlights the unique working rhythm between the actress and the veteran director. In the film, Kim portrays Sang-hee, a woman navigating the emotional terrain of finding her mother in Jeju Island after a decade of separation. Beyond her starring role, Kim also took on the mantle of production general manager, steering the operational side of the project.
Meanwhile, Hong maintained his characteristic auteur-driven workflow, handling direction, screenwriting, cinematography, sound recording, editing, and music.
To put their festival history into perspective, Locarno holds a special place in their career trajectory. Hong previously captured the Best Director prize at Locarno in 2013 with Our Sunhi and claimed the top Golden Leopard award in 2015 for Right Now, Wrong Then. Kim herself secured the Best Actress honor at the festival in 2024 for Hong’s 32nd feature, By the Stream.
| Year | Film Title | Accolade / Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Our Sunhi | Hong Sang-soo – Best Director Award |
| 2015 | Right Now, Wrong Then | Hong Sang-soo – Golden Leopard (Grand Prize) |
| 2024 | By the Stream | Kim Min-hee – Best Actress Award |
| 2026 | 눈 둘 데가 없네 | In Competition; Kim Min-hee as Lead Actress & Producer |
Navigating International Festival Circuits Under Public Scrutiny
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