South Korean Film Director Park Chan-wook Wins the Grand Prix

‘Old Boy’, a film directed by South Korean director Park Chan-wook, 41, was awarded the Grand Prix du Jury at the 57th International Film Festival in Cannes, ending on Sunday morning.

The Grand Prix du Jury award is second only to the Palme d` Or, the festival’s top award, marking the highest accomplishment for South Korean films so far in three major world film festivals. ‘Old Boy’ is second Korean movie to win in competition at the Cannes Film Festival since ‘Chihwaseon’ (directed by Im Kwon-taek) earned a Best Director Prize in 2002.

‘Old Boy’, starring Choi Min-sik, Ryu Ji-tae and Kang Hye-jung, shows one man’s revenge and repentance after having been imprisoned for 15 years and then released groundlessly. While it became a blockbuster drawing 3.3 million viewers at home since its release in November, it has also sparked social controversy due to its depiction of incest and its cruel description technique.

Notably, Michael Moore’s ‘Fahrenheit 911’, describing the long-standing business relationship between the Bush family and the Osama Bin Laden’s family, won the Palme d` Or, the highest award.

The Best Director Award went to Tony Gatlif, French director of ‘Exils’. In the acting categories, Best Actor went to 14-year-old Yuuya Yagira for ‘Nobody Knows’ (Japan) and Best Actress went to Chinese actress Maggie Cheung for her role in the French film ‘Clean’.

Seung-Jae Lee sjda@donga.com