Curated by noted Asian film critic Tony Rayns, the Vancouver International Film Festival’s Dragons and Tigers revealed its 2014 slate last week, with five features and five shorts from Korea among this year’s programming.

 

Coming fresh from their North American premiere screenings at the Toronto International Film Festival will be the new works of HONG Sang-soo and IM Kwon-taek, as well as Haemoo, the debut of SHIM Sung-bo. Prolific auteur HONG returns to Vancouver with Hill of Freedom, his shortest feature to date at only 67 minutes, while Korean cinema legend IM returns after a four-year hiatus with Revivre, his 102nd film, both debuted at the Venice International Film Festival last month. SHIM’s Haemoo, a dark maritime thriller, is also co-written by Bong Joon Ho, who lends his name to the film as a producer for the very first time.

 

Having its international premiere in Vancouver will be Man on High Heels, JANG Jin’s first work in three years. The film stars CHA Seung-won as tough detective who harbours a secret desire to become a woman. After picking up the Mecenat Award for Best Documentary at the Busan International Film Festival last year and sharing the NETPAC Prize at the Berlin International Film Festival this year, JUNG Yoon-suk’s Non Fiction Diary will have its first festival screening in North America in Canada.

 

Among Korean shorts this year, filmmaker KANG Sang-woo will present two works, Anmado and Clean Me. Korean animation Deaf and Wind, from director HWANG Kyu-il, will be presented in the ‘Amazing Anime’ collection, while LEE Hyung-suk’s I’m Not a Hairdresser and NAM Geun-hak’s Magnificent View will also screen in Vancouver.

 

The last Korean film to pick up the Dragons and Tigers Award for Young Cinema was JANG Kunjae’s Eighteen in 2009. This year’s Vancouver International Film Festival will unspool from September 25th to October 10th.