“Journals of Musan” wins jury prize at Deauville Asian Film Festival

Poster for film "The Journals of Musan"

Korean film “The Journals of Musan” (2010) has won the jury prize at the 13th Deauville Asian Film Festival held in France from March 9 to 13.

According to the official website of the fest which has been dedicated to Asian cinema since 1999, “Musan” claimed the jury prize after competing against nine other films including “Norwegian Wood” by Vietnamese director Tran Ahn Hung.

"Musan," which is director Park Jung-bum’s first feature pic, is about the difficult lives North Korean defectors lead in South Korea's capitalist society shown through eyes of North Korean defector Jeon Sang-chul who faces much discrimination in trying to find a decent job and make friends in church.

"Musan" has been well recognized for delving into one of the most controversial issues in South Korean and is the extended version of director Park’s earlier short film “125 JEON Seung Chul” (2008) that describes the typical day for the same lead character.

The film has so far won the New Currents Award and International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) Award at the 15th Pusan International Film Festival last October, a top prize at the 10th Marrakech International Film Festival held in Morocco in December and the Tiger Award -- a competitive category which screens directors' first or second-time feature films -- during the 40th International Film Festival Rotterdam in February.

"Musan" may grab more titles down the road with it being invited also to the Hong Kong International Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival and San Francisco International Film Festival.

“Musan” is set to premiere in Korea on April 14.

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Reporter : Heidi Kim heidikim@
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