Yang Ik-joon's "Breathless" has won again at yet another international film event. This time, it took the top prize, just over the East Sea from Korea, at the 10th Tokyo Filmex. Filmex established in 2000 is an international film festival that specializes in emerging Asian directors, Japanese heritage films and also runs a concurrent Korean Film Showcase. Taking the Grand Prize at Filmex tops a year full of wins for Breathless including those at Rotterdam, Vladivostok International Film Festival and the Fantastic Fest 2009. It has also played at the Barcelona Asian Film Festival, the Deauville Asian Film festival and the Reel Asian Film Festival in Toronto.
Released in April of this year, the film stars its director Yang Ik-joon who has proved to be as much of an attraction as the film itself. This played out in Tokyo when, at the awards ceremony, a comic video message of thanks from the young director was shown. In the film, YANG plays a foul mouthed, gangster like debt collector who meets a young, equally troubled school girl.
As well as the award the film won $11,560 or just over 13,000,000 Korean won in prize money.
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