Late Lee Seon-gyun Starring 'Jam' Wins Grand Prize at France G?rardmer Film Festival

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The film "Jam," starring the late actor Lee Sun-kyun, won the grand prize, the highest award, at the G?rardmer Fantastic Film Festival in France, AFP reported on the 28th (local time).

"Jam" is a mystery thriller about newlyweds Hyun-soo (Lee Sun-kyun) and Su-jin (Jung Yu-mi). The story unfolds as the husband begins to exhibit strange behavior while sleeping at night. Lee Sun-kyun played the role of the husband, Hyun-soo.

Movie 'Jam' Still Image [Photo by Lotte Entertainment]

"Jam" is the feature debut of director Yoo Jae-sun, a prot?g? of Bong Joon-ho, who won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 2019 with "Parasite," the first Korean film to do so. The film was invited to the Critics' Week section at the 76th Cannes Film Festival last year. The Critics' Week, organized by the French Critics Association, showcases a director's first or second work. Previous Korean films featured include Hur Jin-ho's "Christmas in August" (1998), Jung Ji-woo's "Happy End" (1999), and Han Joon-hee's "Chinatown" (2015). The film received praise in Cannes for its witty story and fresh development.

Lee Sun-kyun had the honor of being invited to the Cannes Film Festival last year with both "Jam" and "Escape: Project Silence." This marked his third time on the Cannes stage, following "A Hard Day" (2014) and "Parasite" (2019).

The G?rardmer Film Festival is an international festival mainly focusing on science fiction, horror, and fantasy genres. It began in 1994 and marked its 31st edition this year. In 2004, director Kim Jee-woon’s "A Tale of Two Sisters" won the grand prize, the festival’s highest honor, and in the same year, director Kim Moon-saeng’s "Wonderful Days" won the best work award in the animation competition. In 2003, director Lee Si-myung’s "2009: Lost Memories" received the audience award.

[Photo by Instagram capture of France G?rardmer International Fantastic Film Festival]

Lee Sun-kyun was under police investigation for drug use since October last year and was found dead last month on the 27th inside a car parked in a park in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Overseas media gave significant coverage to the news of the death of the actor who gained worldwide attention through the film "Parasite."

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