Swedish Festival to Screen Korean Co-Produced Short NEW ABNORMAL

Hong Sungeun’s acclaimed debut film Aloners (2021) has been invited to the upcoming 45th Göteborg Film Festival in Sweden. Also on the program is the Thailand-Singapore-South Korea co-produced short film New Abnormal.

Aloners, a project from the graduate feature program at the Korean Academy of Film Arts (KAFA), debuted last spring in competition at the JEONJU International Film Festival, where the film won the Best Actress Award for lead Gong Seungyeon, as well as the CGV Arthouse Award.

Gong stars a young woman who lives by herself and keeps to herself as she works as a customer service phone representative. Having recently lost her mother, her relationship with her father is strained, and she begins to feel pressure at work when her boss asks her to train a chatty new recruit. Meanwhile, her next-door neighbor’s body is found days after his death, forcing her to reexamine her priorities. 

One of last year’s most acclaimed Korean films, Aloners has been invited to several prestigious events, including the Toronto International Film Festival, the San Sebastien International Film Festival and the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival.

In addition to her win at JEONJU, Gong earned the Best Actress Award at the Torino Film Festival and Best New Actress at the Blue Dragon Film Awards. She was also nominated for Best Newcomer at the Asian Film Awards. 

From Thai director Sorayos Prapapan, New Abnormal is based on a true story and focuses on how the Thai government enforced an Emergency Decree during the Covid-19 Pandemic.

This year’s Göteborg Film Festival will take place from January 28 to February 6.