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| Actors Kim Yun-seok, left, and Zo In-sung in a scene from "Escape from Mogadishu" / Courtesy of Lotte Entertainment |
By Kwak Yeon-soo
"Escape from Mogadishu," one of the most anticipated films of this summer, focuses on a fight for survival as the characters in the movie embark on a desperate mission to flee Somalia following the outbreak of civil war in the African country, according to the cast.
Set in 1991, the action drama tells the story of North and South Korean diplomats who are forced to cooperate with each other to escape the civil war in Somalia's capital.
In the upcoming film, Kim Yun-seok plays South Korean Ambassador to Somalia Han Shin-sung, while Huh Joon-ho stars as the North Korean ambassador. Meanwhile, Zo In-sung portrays counselor Kang Dae-jin of the South Korean embassy. Koo Kyo-hwan, who has a couple of high-profile projects under his belt including Netflix's "Kingdom: Ashin of the North," plays Tae Joon-ki, a diplomat at the North Korean embassy.
They shot the entire film for four months in Morocco before the COVID-19 outbreak, according to director Ryoo Seung-wan. His previous works include "The Berlin File" (2013), "Veteran" (2015) and "The Battleship Island" (2017).
"It was filmed in Morocco because Somalia remains unstable and dangerous. Morocco is frequently used to double for Somalia. For instance, the 2001 Hollywood war film Black Hawk Down, about the Battle of Mogadishu, was filmed in Morocco as well," Ryoo said during an online press conference for the film, Thursday.
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| From left, actors Park Gyeong-hye, Koo Kyo-hwan, Huh Joon-ho, Kim Yun-seok, Zo In-sung, Kim So-jin, Jung Man-sik and Kim Jae-hwa pose during an online press conference for the film "Escape from Mogadishu," Thursday. Courtesy of Lotte Entertainment |
The director revealed that special effects company Dexter Studios was developing a project based on a true story and then offered him the chance to take the helm.
"The extraordinary circumstances and the life-or-death situation faced by the characters fascinated me," he said.
According to Ryoo, the production team gained knowledge about the surrounding situation through a memoir written by an executive of Somalia's state-run broadcasting station. They also looked into records maintained by the U.S. Embassy in Somalia. In contrast, the South Korean embassy workers, on which the film is based, lost most of their documents while fleeing the country.
Actor Kim said he wanted to be part of "Escape from Mogadishu" because he loved the script and wanted to work with Ryoo.
"Actually, this is my first time working with Ryoo. There were times when I think we could have worked together, but it didn't work out due to conflicting schedules. The script was brilliant. The roller-coaster of events and various characters who hold different purposes and goals were interesting," he said.
On acting alongside Zo for the first time, Kim said, "I first saw Zo from 'A Dirty Carnival' (2006) and was impressed by his performance. With much diligence and altruism, he was a reliable partner on set."
Talking about the film, Zo said it was amazing to film "Escape from Mogadishu" in the Moroccan city of Essaouira.
"It was physically exhausting, because we had to drive an extra three hours after arriving at the airport in Morocco, but the town was mind-blowingly beautiful. Just by staring at the scenery, I was able to put the difficult moments during filming out of my mind," he said.
Huh, who always brings plenty of charisma to the screen, said he agreed to do the film without even reading the script. "I said yes before I even read the script because I had trust in Ryoo as director," he said.
Koo said he feels overwhelmed that the film is finally being released.
"Escape from Mogadishu" will hit local theaters on July 28.
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