Oct 30, 2025
SFFILM
November 20 Event to Feature Conversation and Screening of Director’s Brilliantly Savage Capitalism Satire ‘No Other Choice’
San Francisco, CA – October 30, 2025 – Today, SFFILM announced a tribute to the venerable South Korean directing legend Park Chan-wook alongside a special screening of his most recent film No Other Choice. The film, from NEON, reunites Director Park with lead performer Lee Byung Hun (Joint Security Area), for a mordant drama about the extremes an unemployed man reaches in his quest for a new position and sense of self. The event will take place at the Phyllis Wattis Theater at SFMOMA on Thursday, November 20, at 7:00 pm.
“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 rejoin the workforce at any cost,” said Jessie Fairbanks, SFFILM’s Director of Programming. “I am thrilled to celebrate Director Park with this 2025 SFFILM Presents Tribute for both his body of work and this new entry. No Other Choice is another shining example of Park’s visual elegance and his idiosyncratic reflections on capitalism, modern masculinity, and technological advances.”
SFFILM’s Executive Director Anne Lai noted that international cinema is at the core of the institution’s work cultivating a vibrant and enduring film culture in the Bay Area. “With the roots of our organization firmly planted in bringing international films to audiences here in the Bay, it is a deep honor to welcome and celebrate Park Chan-wook. The experience of being in a theater to not only hear from a cinematic master, but to see his latest film, will surely be a special one for audiences new to and familiar with his great work.”
ABOUT PARK CHAN-WOOK
Born on August 23, 1963, Park Chan-wook is a South Korean film director, screenwriter, and producer who is among the most acclaimed auteurs in the world. Park has constructed a unique cinematic world with his unconventional storytelling, fascinating characters, and sensual visuals. He is perhaps best known for his “Vengeance Trilogy”, consisting of Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002), Oldboy (2003), and Sympathy for Lady Vengeance (2005). He became celebrated as a global auteur with Oldboy (2003), winner of the Grand Prix at the 57th Cannes Film Festival. In the years since, he has continued to receive worldwide acclaim with films such as Thirst (2009), which won the Jury Prize at the 62nd Cannes Film Festival; Stoker (2013), his Hollywood debut; and The Handmaiden (2016), which had its world premiere in competition at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival. In 2022, he came back with his first feature film in six years, Decision to Leave (2022), for which he won Best Director at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival and reaffirmed his status as one of the most distinguished directors in the industry. In 2025, he returns to the screen with No Other Choice (2025), a long-awaited passion project featuring a star-studded cast.
ABOUT THE FILM
A withering corporate satire forms the backbone of Park Chan-wook’s new film which is replete with the bravura set pieces for which he’s known. Man-su (Korean superstar Lee Byung Hun) has it all—great job, wife, two kids, two dogs—until the paper corporation he works for lays him off. When a new job doesn’t manifest after several months and his fantastic life begins to crumble, he arrives at a radical solution to beat the competition. Cue the elegantly devised macabre sequences that Park is known for in films like Oldboy (2003) and Decision to Leave (2022). The difference here is comedic: Unlike some of the filmmaker’s other protagonists, Man-su is no natural-born killer, just an ambitious businessman willing to do whatever it takes—no matter how extreme—to reclaim his comfortable life. Adapted from Donald E. Westlake’s The Ax, No Other Choice builds to a conclusion that is chillingly of the present moment. NEON will release No Other Choice in select theaters December 25, everywhere January 2026.
TICKETS + MEMBER BENEFITS
Tickets will go on sale for SFFILM Members on Thursday, October 30 at 10 am at sffilm.org. The online box office will open to the general public on Friday, October 31 at 10 am. Ticket prices for General Admission are $35, and $30 for SFFILM Members. Senior, student, and ADA are $32.
VENUE
The Tribute to Park Chan-wook and special presentation of NO OTHER CHOICE takes place at the Phyllis Wattis Theater at SFMOMA at 151 3rd Street in San Francisco.
For transit and parking information visit www.sfmoma.org/visit/getting-here/
ACCESSIBILITY
SFFILM is committed to providing accessible experiences at all events whether in-person or online. Event pages will be updated with accessibility information as it becomes available, which may be after tickets go on sale. sffilm.org/accessibility
All venues are ADA accessible. This film will be presented with English subtitles. The Phyllis Wattis Theater at SFMOMA is not by default equipped with individual closed captioning or audio description devices, but if you would like to request any accessibility accommodations, please contact ada@sffilm.org.
For more information about accessibility at specific venues or programs, please visit sffilm.org/accessibility or contact ada@sffilm.org.
SPONSORS + PARTNERS
With deep appreciation to SFFILM’s Board of Directors, whose leadership and generosity empower artists, audiences, and the future of independent film.
SFFILM Presents
SFFILM Presents is an annual slate of curated film programs held monthly each fall. Created to give Bay Area audiences early, exclusive access, SFFILM Presents is the place for singular films and thoughtful, entertaining on-stage conversations with world-class talent moderated by SFFILM’s Programming experts. The SFFILM Presents series also features award and tribute programs including SF Honors and the Sloan Science in Cinema Prize. As the hub of the San Francisco film community, SFFILM’s fall programming contributes to our year-round cultivation of a vibrant Bay Area film culture.
SFFILM
For nearly 70 years, SFFILM has been transforming the world through the creativity and inspiration of film. As the Bay Area’s premier film institution since 1957, SFFILM cultivates an enduring and vibrant film culture, expertly connecting singular storytellers with passionate audiences. With world-class festivals, accessible youth programs, and robust filmmaker support, SFFILM champions cinema as a force for connection, creativity, and change. Our annual film festivals include the San Francisco International Film Festival and Doc Stories. The SFFILM Presents series and Family programming give Bay Area audiences early, exclusive access to film events all year. SFFILM’s youth Education program empowers over 15,000 local students and educators with learning opportunities that foster media literacy, global citizenship, and a lifelong love of movies. And, SFFILM propels the careers of independent filmmakers from the Bay Area and beyond through vital grants, residencies, and diverse creative development services in our Artist Development initiative.
For more information visit sffilm.org
This press release is available online at sffilm.org/press/releases
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