Kim Ki-duk’s “Pieta” to Vie for Oscar Nomination

Official poster of Kim Ki-duk's film "Pieta" featuring actress Cho Min-soo (top), donned in a white gown and a veil, holding actor Lee Jung-jin (bottom) in her arms. [NEW]

Korean auteur Kim Ki-duk’s Venice-winning pic “Pieta” will now be vying for the Oscar nomination at the 85th Academy Awards.

Korean Film Council [KOFIC] announced through its official website Wednesday that the morality film has been chosen as the Korean entry for the Foreign Language Film category at one of the most prominent film awards in the world.

The mother-and-son tale took the honor after competing with four other top Korean films--Im Sang-soo’s “The Taste of Money” (2012), Hong Sang-soo’s “In Another Country” (2012), Yoon Jong-bin’s “Nameless Gangster: Rules of the Time" (2011) and Choo Chang-min’s “Masquerade,"--recognized by the Kim's sharp insight into the modern society, life and his aesthetic boldness.

"We couldn't have been happier than when reviewing the films to send to next year's ceremony. But we had to go through a heated discussion as all five submitted works have proven outstanding achievements in the Korean film scene," the KOFIC officials said, explaining how intense the competition was.

The representative Korean film will be handed over to the award’s organizer, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science [AMPAS], and the nominations will be announced on January 15, 2013.

The KOFIC has sent Bong Joon-ho's “Mother,” Kim tae-kyun's “Barefoot Dream" and Jang Hoon's “Front Line” in the past three years but all three works had failed to receive the prize.

Kim's bleak morality film "Pieta" won the Golden Lion award for the best picture at the 69th Venice International Film Festival awards ceremony held in Venice, Italy on September 8.

Actress Cho Min-su (left) and actor Lee Jung-jin (right) pose during the shooting of "Pieta," opened in local theaters on September 6, 2012. [NEW]

※ Any copying, republication or redistribution of 10Asia's content is expressly prohibited without prior consent of 10Asia. Copyright infringement is subject to criminal and civil penalties.