Korea is well represented at this year's Hong Kong Film Festival by a large number of independent films.
Most of the films are competing in the 'Asian Digital Competition' underlining Korea's growing strength in the digital film arena. The films competing in the section this year are the Pusan New Currents winner, "
I'm in Trouble!" directed by
So Sang-min,
"Eighteen" directed by
Jang Kun-jae which recently won the Dragon and Tiger award at Vancouver and the darkly transgressive "Mother is a Whore" by
Lee Sang Woo.
Notably this year, North Korean and South Korean relations play a major theme with
Hong Hyung-sook's controversial
"The Border City 2" entered in the 'Humanitarian Awards for Documentaries' Section. The film focuses on the return to South Korea of a professor who was branded as a North Korean spy and lived in Germany for 35 years. Lastly, in the Auteur Section is "Dooman River" which recently played at Berlin. The film helmed by Korean/Chinese director
Zhang Lu is a Korean/French production about a Chinese boy's relationship with a North Korean boy who regularly makes the journey across the notorious river to enter into China.
This year's 34th Hong Kong Film Festival contains over 300 films from 50 countries. The festival begins March 21 and wraps up April 4. The concurrent Asian Film Awards will be held on the 22nd with
Bong Joon-ho's
"Mother - 2009" vying for 6 awards including best film, best director, best screenplay, best actress, best supporting actor and best editing.
David Oxenbridge KOFIC
