Korean director wins award from US Filmmakers Alliance

Korean movie director Kim Jee-woon has won a coveted award from U.S. Filmmakers Alliance, a community of film artists dedicated to promoting independent films, a local entertainment company said Wednesday.

Kim received the Vision Award for creative filmmakers at the annual VisionFest celebration hosted by the group on Tuesday night (U.S. western time) in Hollywood, CJ Entertainment said.

The Vision Award is presented to an established filmmaker whose artistic ambition and consistent filmmaking excellence provides artistic inspiration to emerging filmmakers all around the world.

Past recipients include such well-known directors as Wim Wenders, Alexander Payne, Werner Herzog, and last year's recipient, Christine Vachon. Kim was the 13th and the first Asian recipient of the prize, CJ said.

The 48-year-old director is currently working on his first English-language project and Hollywood debut with Arnold Schwarzenegger called "Last Stand." The action film is set to open at U.S. theaters in January.

He is best known internationally for "A Tale of Two Sisters" (2003), a story of a family haunted by tragic deaths within the family. The movie is inspired by the famous ancient Korean folktale "Janghwa and Hongnyeon." (Yonhap)