By Pierce Conran
Following its launch last year, the Wildflower Film Awards Korea revealed the nominees of its upcoming 2nd edition last week. Leading the pack with seven nominees is July Jung's A Girl at My Door, while Han Gong-ju and The King of Jokgu following at five a piece and 10 Minutes, Gyeongju and Hill of Freedom each picking up four.
Set up by Korean film critic and festival consultant Darcy Paquet, the Wildflower Film Awards have been praised by industry professionals as a means to recognize the achievements of Korea's thriving independent scene. Despite critical acclaim and success on the international festival circuit, low-budget films have had a tough time at local theaters, due in part to the vertically integrated nature of Korea's studio system.
The event's top categories are the Best Director - Narrative and Best Director - Documentary prizes, which each have seven nominees, while a top Grand Prize will also be selected among all 14 nominees. The Wildflower's selection committee, which is made up of local film professionals and indie film lovers unaffiliated with the industry, picked 21 films across 10 categories from a pool of around 90 films, each with a budget under $1 million and released in local theaters in 2014.
Six of the nominees will be screened at the Seoul Theater over April 6-8 just ahead of the awards themselves on April 9. In addition, the event also launched its first Wildflower Film Awards Annual, which features 11 essays and interviews on independent films. Check out the full list of nominees below:
Best Director - Narrative Films
Leesong Hee-il, Night Flight
Woo Moon-gi, The King of Jokgu
Zhang Lu, Gyeongju
July Jung, A Girl at My Door
Lee Su-jin, Han Gong-ju
Lee Yong-seung, 10 Minutes
Hong Sangsoo, Hill of Freedom
Best Director - Documentaries
Kelvin Kyung Kun Park, A Dream of Iron
Park Moon-chil, My Place
Park Chan-kyong, Manshin
Lee Sang-ho & Ahn Hae-ryong, The Truth Shall Not Sink With Sewol
Lee Chang-jae, The Hospice
Jung Yoonsuk, Non-fiction Diary
Hong Jae-hui, My Father’s Emails
Best Actor
Park Hae-il, Gyeongju
Song Sae-byuk, A Girl at My Door
Ahn Jae-hong, The King of Jokgu
Jung Eui-gap, The Dinner
Kase Ryo, Hill of Freedom
Best Actress
Kim Saeron, A Girl at My Door
Moon Sori, Hill of Freedom
Bae Doona, A Girl at My Door
Shin Min-a, Gyeongju
Chun Woo-hee, Han Gong-ju
Best Screenplay
Kim Tae-gon, The King of Jokgu
Kim Da-hyun, 10 Minutes
Lee Su-jin, Han Gong-ju
July Jung, A Girl at My Door
Hong Sangsoo, Hill of Freedom
Best Cinematography
Kim Hyunseok, A Girl at My Door
Kelvin Kyung Kun Park & Stone Kim, A Dream of Iron
Cho Young-jik, Gyeongju
Jee Yune-jeong, Lee Sun-young, Yoo Ji-sun, Manshin
Hong Jae-sik, Han Gong-ju
Best New Director
Park Chan-kyong, Manshin
Woo Moon-gi, The King of Jokgu
Lee Su-jin, Han Gong-ju
Lee Yong-seung, 10 Minutes
July Jung, A Girl at My Door
Best New Actor
Kwak Siyang, Night Flight
Baek Jong-hwan, 10 Minutes
Byun Yo-han, Tinker Ticker
Lee Jeajoon, Night Flight
Choi Woo-shik, Set Me Free
Best New Actress
Kong Ye-ji, Shuttlecock
Kim Su-an, Mad Sad Bad - Picnic
Park Joohee, The Wicked
Lee Yoo-young, Late Spring
Hwang Seung-un, The King of Jokgu
Reviews and features on Korean film appear regularly on Modern Korean Cinema. For film news, external reviews, and box office analysis, take a look at the Korean Box Office Update, Korean Cinema News and the Weekly Korean Reviews, which appear weekly on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings (Korean Standard Time).
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