Park Chan-wook "No Other Choice" Wins TIFF 2025 International Award - Korean Film Sets Record
Director's latest dark comedy claims inaugural International People's Choice Award at Toronto Festival after Venice disappointment
Park Chan-wook's "No Other Choice" has won the first-ever International People's Choice Award at the 50th Toronto International Film Festival, marking a significant victory for Korean cinema following the film's awards shutout at Venice.
Breaking New Ground at TIFF
The newly established International People's Choice Award recognizes the most popular non-North American film as voted by festival audiences. "No Other Choice" claimed the inaugural honor, with Joachim Trier's "Sentimental Value" as runner-up and Neeraj Ghaywan's "Homebound" in third place.
Park expressed his gratitude, noting he "wasn't surprised by the award news because I witnessed the audience's enthusiastic reactions firsthand during the official screening".
Commercial Success Validates Critical Acclaim
The film has achieved unprecedented commercial success for a Korean production. CJ ENM confirmed pre-sales to over 200 countries worldwide, surpassing the 192-country record set by Park's previous film "Decision to Leave". The company stated they have already recouped net production costs solely through pre-sale revenue.
Domestically, the film is showing remarkable advance sales performance. As of early September, "No Other Choice" topped Korean advance ticket sales with over 100,000 tickets sold, achieving No. 1 status two weeks before release - earlier than recent blockbusters like "12.12: The Day" and "The Roundup: Punishment".
Venice to Toronto Journey
"No Other Choice" premiered in competition at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival, where it received a nine-minute standing ovation and critical acclaim but went home without awards. Critics described it as "one of Park's most humane and mordantly funny works to date," with Time Out giving it a perfect 5-star rating.
Oscar Prospects and Release Schedule
The Korean Film Council has selected "No Other Choice" as South Korea's entry for Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards. The Toronto award strengthens its Oscar chances, as 12 of the last 15 TIFF People's Choice winners have received Academy Award nominations for Best Picture.
The film will open the 30th Busan International Film Festival on September 17, followed by its Korean theatrical release on September 24.
About the Film
"No Other Choice" is a satirical black comedy thriller based on Donald Westlake's novel "The Ax," starring Lee Byung-hun, Son Ye-jin, Park Hee-soon, Lee Sung-min, Yeom Hye-ran, and Cha Seung-won. The story follows Man-su, a laid-off paper industry veteran who resorts to extreme measures in his job search.
Neon acquired North American distribution rights, while Mubi secured rights for multiple international territories, positioning the film for a wide global release following its festival success.
