Korean film JISEUL, recently won the World Cinema Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival. The film is set on Jeju Island, and looks at an order given to the US military to arrest and kill anyone outside of a specific zone as they were believed to be communists. A group of people from a small village were then forced to hide in caves for 60 days. The film was shot in black and white, and is spoken in the native dialect of Jeju Island by local actors. The win came as a huge shock to director O Meul, himself a native of the island:
I spent most of my time at theaters [in Utah] watching other films, so I wasn’t able to hear whether critics there appreciated my film. I never imagined I’d win the award
Below you can see a very brief teaser trailer and the poster, which has faced some controversy around its portrayal of historical events.
Source: Korea Joongang Daily & Hancinema
