‘My Dearest Fu Bao’ offers close look at beloved panda's last 3 months in Korea

“My Dearest Fu Bao,” a South Korean movie depicting the interactions between the panda Fu Bao and her zookeepers, will feature in-depth stories about the beloved giant panda, the movie’s director said Thursday.

This documentary film is based on interviews with zookeepers Song Young-gwan and Kang Cheol-won, who is widely known as Fu Bao's "grandpa" by fans. The movie narrates stories of how the zookeepers met Fu Bao and how the beloved panda was cared for by them until her journey to China.

Born inside the zoo facility at Everland to Ai Bao and Le Bao on July 20, 2020, Fu Bao was the first panda cub born in Korea through natural mating. Ai Bao and Le Bao were sent to South Korea by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2016 on a 15-year loan.

Under an endangered species conservation agreement with China, loan pandas and their offspring must return to China before they turn 4 years old and, accordingly, Fu Bao was sent to China on April 3.

“My Dearest Fu Bao” covers the last three months of Fu Bao’s life in Korea, as well as her interactions with her twin sisters Rui Bao and Hui Bao, her parents Ai Bao and Le Bao and the zookeepers. The movie also includes a scene where Fu Bao and zookeeper Kang Cheol-won reunite three months after Fu Bao is sent to China. Scenes recalled by the zookeepers but that weren't able to be captured on film were recreated as animations included in the documentary.

“What people saw through TV shows or news on Fu Bao is just a small part of the story. Because our movie is a documentary, thanks to the genre’s characteristics, I was able to add more in-depth stories about the interactions between Fu Bao's family and the zookeepers,” said director Shim Hyung-joon during a press conference held in Seoul on Thursday.

Zookeeper Kang, Fu Bao's "grandpa," said the reason he participated in the movie was to return the love of Fu Bao's fans.

“Just as I poured everything into raising Fu Bao, many people gained energy and felt hope through Fu Bao when they were going through hard times. I think (participating in this movie) was my way of returning that massive love of Fu Bao's fans,” Kang told reporters.

“My Dearest Fu Bao” opens in Korea's theaters on Sept. 4.