Bong Joon-ho’s science fiction action movie “Snowpiercer” opened the Los Angeles Film Festival on Wednesday.
It is the first time a Korean movie has been screened as the opening film of the festival, which marks its 20th anniversary this year.
Bong was joined by some of the film’s stars, including Song Kang-ho, Go Ah-sung, Tilda Swinton, Ed Harris and Alison Pill, on the red carpet in Regal Cinema, downtown Los Angeles.
“Snowpiercer” will have a limited theatrical release in the U.S. on June 27 through U.S. film distributer Radius-TWC. Its U.S. distribution comes nearly a year after it premiered in South Korea. The movie made over $65 million in box office sales.
“Snowpiercer” is set in a future where a failed global-warming experiment caused a new ice age, leaving the surviving humans aboard a perpetually moving train. Based on the 1984 French graphic novel “La Transperceneige,” the film depicts a post-apocalyptic society of class struggles, with each class determined by one’s position on the train.
“I have been invited to many festivals so far, but this is the first time for a Korean movie to be screened as the opening film,” Bong said. His other films include “Mother,” “The Host” and “The Memories of Murder.”
“I am really honored to be given this opportunity. I think the future is bright for the Korean film industry,” the director said.
Two other Korean films, “Han Gong-ju” by Lee Su-jin and “10 Minutes” by Lee Yong-seung, were invited for screening at the festival. The LA Film Festival, which opened Wednesday, will continue until June 19.
By Ahn Sung-mi (
sahn@heraldcorp.com)
