Korean labor activist animation invited to Annecy Festival

A poster for the animated film "Chun Tae-il: A Flame That Lives On" / Courtesy of Myung Film

By Kim Rahn

The animated film "Chun Tae-il: A Flame That Lives On," which tells the story of the namesake activist who set himself on fire in protest of labor conditions in 1970, has been invited to Annecy International Animated Film Festival, according to Myung Films, Tuesday.

The production company said the 100-minute animation will compete in the Contrechamp section for feature-length films in the 46th edition of the festival, which will be held in the southeastern French city from June 13 to 18.

The 2020 film is about Chun, a tailor and labor activist who sets fire to himself in order to raise awareness about the poor working conditions of textile workers in the Dongdaemun Market area and who later becomes the symbol of the nation's labor movement.

It was created by producer Kim Sun-ku, who took part in the 2011 animated film "Leafie, a Hen into the Wild," which gained 2.2 million viewers, the largest audience here for a Korean animated film, and newcomer director Hong Jun-pyo.

Actor Jang Dong-yoon voices Chun, while a dozen other famous actors, including Yeom Hye-ran, Jin Sun-kyu, Kwon Hae-hyo, Park Chul-min and Tae In-ho, also provide voices.

The Annecy Festival is known as one of the world's four major animation festivals. Among Korean films invited to the event, "My Beautiful Girl, Mari" and "Oseam" won the grand prizes in the feature section in 2002 and 2004, respectively, while "The Sharman Sorceress" won the Jury Distinction in 2020.

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