Successful End to Busy Month on Festival Circuit
JANG Kun-jae’s
Sleepless Night has steadily gained momentum on the festival circuit since it began its journey at the
Jeonju International Film Festival last April. After winning the JJ-Star Prize (for Best Korean feature) and Audience Award at JIFF, JANG’s film made a few appearances at festivals during the summer, including its international premiere at the Edinburgh International Film Festival, where it picked up the Student Critics Awards, and the 6th Cinema Digital Seoul Film Festival (CinDi).
The film really took off in the fall as it was selected for the main competition of the Nara International Film Festival, the Vancouver International Film Festival, where JANG previously won the Tigers and Dragons prize for his debut
Eighteen (2009), and the Tokyo International Film Festival.
However, November has been its busiest month to date as it has screened at the London Korean Film Festival and San Diego Asian Film Festival, as well as the Mar Del Plata International Film Festival and Nantes’ Festival of Three Continents, both of which the director participated in.
Capping off a strong month, Sleepless Night was awarded a special jury mention at the Festival of Three Continents in Nantes, which ran from November 20-27. The festival’s top prize, the Golden Balloon, went to Wang Bing’s Three Sisters from China.