Picked by Association of Korean Independent Film & Video
YEUN Sang-ho’s The Fake has been getting a lot of attention in recent months, following multiple festival selections and awards. Now the animation has become the recipient of a new domestic prize. The Association of Korean Independent Film & Video chose the filmmaker’s sophomore feature as the best Korean independent film of 2013.
It was an abundant year for Korean independent cinema, and 10 strong contenders were considered for the honor, including documentaries Non-Fiction Diary and Discipline and the Korean Academy of Film Arts graduation project Ingtoogi: The Battle of Internet Trolls, but the award ultimately went to the well-received animation.
Following its debut in the Toronto International Film Festival’s Vanguard Section, YEUN’s searing animation screened at events such as the Busan and Tallinn Black Nights International Film Festivals. It won Best Animation awards at the Sitges and Gijon International Film Festivals and was also nominated for Best Animation at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards.
The animation director encountered a lot of success in 2011 and 2012 following the debut of his first film The King of Pigs at the 16th Busan Film Festival. The Fake went on limited release in Korea in late November where it wound up attracting almost 22,000 viewers, a strong figure for an independent film.