KKUM Picks Up Nelvana Grand Prize at Ottawa International Animation Festival

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Animation Director KIM Kang-min Awarded in Canada

Animation filmmaker KIM Kang-min has earned the Nelvana Grand Prize for Independent Short at the Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF) with his short film KKUM. He is the first Korean filmmaker to take the top prize at OIAF, which is considered one of the top four animation film events in the world and the biggest in North America. KKUM was one of 92 films featuring at this year’s OIAF, which was staged online and took place from September 23 to October 4.

KKUM (the Korean word for ‘dream’) is a black-and-white stop-motion animated short that follows the story of a mother who prays for her son after having prophetic dreams. “The director shared with us his life journey through this intimate work,” wrote the competition jury, adding that, “It caught our attention not only because of the story, but also the amazing execution of lighting on this particularly minimal set design.” The film is currently on the festival trail, having played at the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival and the Fantasia International Film Festival, among others.

The film is the latest success from director KIM Kang-min, who was born in Seoul and currently resides in Los Angeles. His previous works, which include 38-39°C (2012), Deer Flower (2016) and JEOM (2018), have met with success around the world.

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