Award-winning film ‘Han Gong-ju’ to hit local theaters

Filmmaker Lee Su-jin’s first feature film “Han Gong-ju” is finally hitting local theaters after scooping up awards at international film festivals, including Rotterdam and Deauville.

The film tells the tale of a traumatized teen sexual-assault victim, who is forced to change schools and leaves her family. It had its world premiere at the Marrakech International Film Festival in November, and won the top prize there, given by a Martin Scorsese-headed jury.

It also nabbed the Tiger Award, which is bestowed upon films that “give young filmmakers a voice,” at this year’s International Film Festival Rotterdam, and swept three prizes ― the Jury Prize, the Critics’ Prize and the Deauville Audience Award ― at this year’s Deauville Asian Film Festival.

The film has also been included in the competition lineup of this year’s upcoming Festival International de Films de Fribourg.

According to the film’s local promoters, many renowned cineastes, including Park Chan-wook, French actress Marion Cotillard, and Martin Scorsese praised the film and its cinematic achievement.

The film had its Korean premiere during last year’s Busan International Film Festival, where it won the Citizen Reviewers’ Award and the CGV Movie Collage award.

Born in 1977, Lee Su-jin made short film “Papa” in 2004, which was presented at BIFF in 2005. Another short of his, “Enemy’s Apple,” won two prizes at the Mise-en-scene Short Film Festival in 2007.

Distributor CGV Movie Collage said “Han Gong-ju” will open in Korean theaters on April 17.

By Claire Lee (dyc@heraldcorp.com)