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Han So-hee (left) and Jun Jong-seo take part in the “Project Y” Open Talk, a side event of the 30th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), at the BIFF outdoor stage at the Busan Cinema Center on September 18. / Source: Yonhap News

Han So-hee and Jun Jong-seo promoted their new film Project Y at the 30th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), sharing why they joined the project during an “Open Talk” event on September 18 at the Busan Cinema Center’s outdoor stage.

The two, both born in 1994 and close friends, spoke about what drew them to the film, which screens as a Special Premiere in BIFF’s “Korean Cinema Today” section.

Playing “Mi-seon,” Han said, “When I first read the script, it felt like a story about youth whose feet are firmly on the ground. A character who will stop at nothing for her goal felt refreshingly new.” Jun, who plays “Do-kyung,” added, “It’s rare to find a film led by two women the same age as true ‘two-top’ leads, so I was pleasantly surprised.”

Project Y follows two women at rock bottom who steal cash and gold bars, setting off a chain of events. Director Lee Hwan said he aimed to capture how star actors known as icons would express “the raw, almost animalistic reality and emotions” of life at the bottom. “We wanted a funky, neo-realist, documentary-like feel, and I think it emerged as a film where a female-driven narrative really stands out,” he said.