Korean films hit it big at international film festivals

Posters for the films, “Loners,” left, and “Tomb of the River” / Courtesy of The Coup, JNC Media Group

By Kwak Yeon-soo

Despite the sluggish film market amid the COVID-19 pandemic, several Korean films are hitting it big at international film festivals.

Director Hong Sung-eun's “Aloners,” about a solitary young woman working in a call center, won the grand prize at the Osaka Asian Film Festival, which closed on March 20. This feat comes three years after Yi Ok-seop's “Maggie” picked up the grand prize there in 2019.

The drama film debuted at last year's Jeonju International Film Festival ― where it won the Best Actress Award for lead actor Gong Seung-yeon ― and the CGV Korean Independent Feature Distribution Award. It also played in the Discovery section at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival.

“Tomb of the River,” together with crime action flick “Special Delivery” and political thriller “Kingmaker,” have been invited to Italy's popular Udine Far East Film Festival, the largest film festival in Europe dedicated to introducing Asian cinema. The 24th edition of the event will take place from April 22 to 30.

The festival's director, Sabrina Baracetti, praised “Tomb of the River” as “an action noir full of a dizzying thrill ride set in Gangneung, a calm and beautiful city. It's very provocative in its ability to captivate the audience, but at the same time, it's a human story. Yu Oh-seong's acting was particularly impressive.”

Earlier this month, “Hommage” was invited to the Glasgow Film Festival in Scotland and had its European premiere on March 12 and 13. The film debuted at last year's Tokyo International Film Festival and is set for theatrical release in the first half of 2022.

The drama film directed by Shin Su-won follows a director struggling to survive in the film industry, who is inspired to continue her work when she meets female filmmakers from an earlier generation. Lee Jung-eun (“Parasite”), Kwon Hae-hyo (“Peninsula”) and Tang Jun-sang (“Crash Landing on You”) star in the picture.

Last year's opening film at the Glasgow festival was family drama, “Minari,” while “The Man Standing Next” and “Voice of Silence” were screened at the festival's Country Focus segment.

Also, “Siren,” an episode of the KBS Drama Special, recently notched an award at this year's Stockholm Film & Television Festival.

The sci-fi thriller, which premiered at last year's Gangneung International Film Festival, follows a man named Choi Tae-seung (Choi Jin-hyuk), who works at a noise pollution treatment center. The company eliminates noise for its clients at its facility using a device it developed.

Meanwhile, Park Chan-wook's “Decision to Leave,” about a detective drawn to a mysterious widow during his investigation of a murder case in the mountainous countryside, and Ryoo Seung-wan's “Smuggle,” an action film set in the 1970s about haenyeo (female divers from Jeju Island who harvest their livelihood from the sea) caught up in smuggling ring, are highly anticipated to premiere at this year's Cannes Film Festival.