Subscribe
E-Paper
 |
| Director Lee Jung-sub, second from right, gives an acceptance speech after receiving the Jury Special Mention Award at the 40th Fantasporto-Oporto International Film Festival in Portugal, which was held Feb. 28-March 7. / Courtesy of Newplus Original |
By Kwak Yeon-soo
In the wake of Bong Joon-ho's immense success for international hit "Parasite," Korean films and actors are continuing to make history at international film festivals.
Sci-fi thriller "Fallen," directed by Lee Jung-sub, won the Jury Special Mention Award at the 40th Fantasporto-Oporto International Film Festival, the film distributor said Tuesday. "Fallen" is the first Korean film to win the award.
The FantasPorto-Oporto International Film Festival in Portugal is a major event on par with Spain's Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival and Belgium's Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival.
The festival specializes in film genres such as science fiction, fantasy and horror, with an emphasis on innovative storytelling and creativity.
"Although it was a new challenge for me to work with rookie actors, I'm grateful for your support for this small, independent film," director Lee said in an acceptance speech.
"It's an honor to attend the film festival, which served as a major gateway for some great directors like Peter Jackson and Guillermo Del Toro as well as Korean filmmakers Park Chan-wook and Bong Joon-ho."
The jury said they were particularly impressed with "Fallen" being full of whimsy and unpredictable plot twists. They were also intrigued by how the sci-fi thriller tells the story of a strong, independent woman who tries to escape stigmas imposed by society.
In the past, Park's "Sympathy for Lady Vengeance," Bong's "The Host" and Kim Ji-woon's "I Saw the Devil" were invited to the Official Competition Orient Express of the Fantasporto.
"Fallen" tells story of a renowned best-selling sci-fi writer Baek Jo-kyoung, played by Yang G. After being kidnapped, Baek tries to escape the confined space by confronting her enemy with imagination. The film makes good use of metaphors ― Baek's escape symbolizes the fact that she no longer restrained by prejudice or social norms.
Director Lee added that spin-off of "Fallen" will be released on YouTube, March 31. The spin-off work "AI Her" will be a powerful story about a female heroine who fights injustice in times of advanced AI technology.
 |
| Actress Shim Eun-kyung / Courtesy of AND |
Meanwhile, actress Shim Eun-kyung won the best actress award at the 34th Takasaki Film Festival held in Japan, for her role in the upcoming Japanese film "Blue Hour."
This comes after Shim became the first Korean to win the best actress award at the 43rd Japan Academy Film Prize Awards for her role in "The Journalist" on March 6.
Director Yuko Hakota's first feature film "Blue Hour" is about two childhood friends who meet each other as adults when Sunada (Kaho) visits her hometown to take care of her sick grandmother and meets her friend Kiyoura (Shim).
The film's two lead actors, Shim and Japanese actor Kaho, received a joint award at the film festival.
"I have more affection toward Kiyoura because my thoughts were put into developing the character," Shim said in her acceptance speech. "I'm also delighted to receive the award with Kaho."
Established in 1988, the Takasaki Film Festival is known as one of the top regional film events in Japan.
Both "Fallen" and "Blue Hour" are set to be released in Korea in the first half of this year.
