Karlovy Vary: A 0-won survival story hits theaters Sept. 9

A production team preparing a romance film set in a Czech resort city has faced a sudden crisis: losing their entire budget just before local filming was scheduled to begin. The film 'Karlovy Vary' is a comedic survival drama that captures the journey of filmmakers pushed to the brink, attempting to recreate the Czech Republic on a domestic set to finish their movie.

Confirmed for a nationwide theatrical release on September 9, the film uses the name of an actual Czech city as its title but depicts the desperate struggle of a crew unable to travel abroad due to the disappearance of their funds. The core of the film lies in the extreme situation of these individuals having to manufacture fake overseas locations with a 0-won production budget.

An original comedy recognized by the Berlin Indie Film Festival

Before its release, 'Karlovy Vary' has already garnered international acclaim. It proved its original concept and comedic sensibility by winning the Best Feature Film award at Germany's Berlin Indie Film Festival. The film has been praised for its lighthearted rhythm and its candid portrayal of young people who refuse to abandon their dreams despite the harsh realities of film production.

Director Yongseok Lee has previously demonstrated versatile directing skills across various genres with works such as 'Pester,' 'Four Kims: A Story of Four Men,' and 'Taewonjang.' In this latest project, he eschews provocative tropes to playfully navigate the crisis of stolen production funds.

The film's first poster features actors cheering on a film festival red carpet, contrasted with the tagline: "We can't go to the Czech Republic. But we must film the movie!" This captures the starting point of the story, where the team must mobilize every available set and piece of equipment to complete the film without ever leaving home.

A realistic ensemble from Lee Je-yeon and Oh Ji-ho to Park Si-yeon

The cast is equally robust. Lee Je-yeon, known for the drama 'Anna,' 'Battle for Happiness,' and the film 'Confidential Assignment 2: International,' plays Park Sung-jae, a rookie director whose dreams are shattered by the theft of the production budget. He portrays the daily struggles and heavy responsibilities of a man whose plans for a Czech location have vanished.

Oh Ji-ho stars as Cha Jin-cheol, Park's cousin, who struggles to recover the lost investment. Having appeared in 'Chuno' and 'Queen of Masks,' Oh plays a character wavering under the pressure of family and financial issues, providing comedic chemistry with Lee.

The supporting characters of the crew and actors are also multi-dimensional. Drawing on her experience in the drama 'Strange School Tales' and the film 'Hypnosis,' Shin Ji-won plays Kang Hana, a cinematographer who refuses to let go of the camera even under adverse conditions. Lee Myung-hoon, formerly of 'SNL Korea,' undergoes a transformation from a cook into Jeon Jong-pil, a graphic designer tasked with CG work.

Park Si-yeon, from 'Produce 101,' plays Choi Miso, an actress who loses her sense of reality while performing in front of a chroma key (blue cloth). She captures the hollow feeling of an actress forced to film scenes in front of a set and a blue screen without proper locations. Kang Hee-man and others round out the ensemble to complete the team.