Stream K-Dramas at OnDemandKorea

Korean Film Wins Twice at Locarno

South Korean feature Don't Look Back, won both the FIPRESCI and NETPAC awards at the 59th Locarno International Film Festival held August 2 ~ 12 in Switzerland. The debut feature by director KIM Young-nam picked up the International Federation of Film Critics award and the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema award.

Don't Look Back follows the lives of three young people, a 21 year old college student and aspiring dancer whose father returns after a 15-year absence, a 25-year old phone-mechanic who falls in love with a woman while eavesdropping, and a 30-year old married man who returns from the army to find his wife somehow changed.

The film's production company, Emotion Pictures quoted the Locarno jury as saying director KIM's introspective portrayal of the lives of young people presents a mature, composed perspective and a modern directing sensibility, something rare to find in films by first-time directors.

KIM majored in Computer Engineering at Ajou University and graduated from the School of Film & Multimedia at Korea National University of Arts. He has worked as assistant director for Woman is the Future of Man (2004) by HONG Sang-soo. His recent short film A Bowl of Tea (2005) won the Sunje Award for best short at 10th Pusan International Film Festival.

Don't Look Back also screened as the closing film of this year's Jeonju International Film Festival which ended May 5th. In 2005 it was the recipient of the KOFIC support fund for international co-productions. The film is a Korean-Japanese co-production.

Nigel D'Sa (KOFIC)

Advertisement

❎ Try Ad-free