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‘Han Gong-ju’ picked up by New York Asian Film Festival and L.A. Film Festival

May 12, 2014

“Han Gong-ju,” directed by Lee Su-jin. (CGV Movie Collage)

The acclaimed South Korean independent film “Han Gong-ju,” about a victimized high school student who struggles to find herself, will be featured in both the 13th New York Asian Film Festival and at the 20th Los Angeles Film Festival.

Directed by Lee Su-jin, the film broke records in Korea for most-viewed indie film in the shortest period of time with 200,000 on May 9.

NYAFF, the representative film festival for Asian cinema in New York, has shown several Korean films through the years including titles like “Oldboy,” “Berlin,” “Man From Nowhere” and “Breathless.”

Admirers of the film include Martin Scorsese, the Oscar-winning American director.

“‘Han Gong-ju’ is outstanding in Mise-en scene, image, sound, editing and performance,” Scorsese said during the Fribourg International Film Festival in March. “I have a lot to learn from this movie and I can’t wait to see the next film.”

Samuel Jamier, one of the organizers of NYAFF, said “Han Gong-ju” was chosen due to the raw emotion portrayed by actress Chun Woo-hee. The film is a narrative rooted in realism, he said.

The film will also show as a part of the international showcase portion of L.A. Film Festival, where independent, international, feature, documentary and short films are featured in one of the largest film festivals in the U.S.

Korean films shown at L.A. Film fest so far include “Scandal,” “My Dear Enemy” and “The Yellow Sea.”

“Han Gong-ju” has received international attention since its release on April 17, with appearances in the 18th Pusan International Film Festival, the Fribourg International Film Festival in Switzerland, the Rotterdam Film Festival in the Netherlands and the Marrakech Film Festival in Morocco.