Stolevski's 'Not Alone' Wins Best Film Award at Bucheon Film Festival

'Korean Fantastic' Feature Selection Park Se-young's 'The Fifth Thoracic Vertebra' Wins Triple Crown

Goran Stolevski's Not Alone won the Bucheon Choice Feature Award at the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival.

On the 14th, the festival's executive committee held an awards ceremony at Bucheon City Hall's office building and announced the winners in five categories. Not Alone, which took the Feature Award, is a horror film that breaks away from traditional frameworks. It tells the story of Nevena (Sara Kilimoska), a girl destined to become a witch due to an ancient ghost, who tries to adapt to human life and resist superhuman powers. The film showcases a strong individuality by combining captivating cinematography, original direction, and the mystique of folk tales. It was praised for its attempt to interpret alienated and isolated humans through folklore.

The Best Director Award went to Christian Tafdrup for Speak No Evil. The film was highly regarded for its sharp and satirical tone that candidly exposes human relationships in modern Western society through a blend of comedy and drama. Speak No Evil depicts two families who, after a chance encounter, become uncomfortable with each other, leading to suspicion and hostility. It criticizes the value system of the modern middle class, whose anxieties have grown as they have more to lose. The Jury Special Prize was awarded to Vesper, directed by Kristina Buozaite and Bruno Samper, and the Audience Award went to CC, directed by Hanna Barlow and Kane Senes.

In the 'Korean Fantastic' feature category, director Park Seyoung's The Fifth Thoracic Vertebra won three awards: Best Director, Distribution Support, and Audience Award. The story follows mold growing on an abandoned mattress and the monstrous lifeforms born there that steal human spinal bones as they wander around various parts of Seoul. The film was praised for accumulating a strange energy as the mold's vigorous vitality intensifies. Director Ko Hyejin's The Woman in the White Car won two awards, the Watcha Spotlight Feature Award and Best Actress (Jung Ryeo-won). Seo Hyun-woo, who starred in director Lee Jaewon's Thunderbird, also received a Best Actor Award.

The Feature Award went to Body Collection.ZIP, directed by Choi Won-kyung, Jeon Byeong-deok, Lee Gwang-jin, Ji Sam, Kim Jang-mi, and Seo Hyung-woo. The clever structure that unites five episodes into one earned high marks. The 'Otherworldly Family Award' was given to Pororo the Movie: Dragon Castle Adventure, directed by Kang Seunghoon and Yoon Jewan, and the 'Melies International Film Festival Federation (MIFF) Asia Film Award' was awarded to Tokyo Sea of Flames, directed by Ninomiya Ken.

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