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PARK's Paju to Open Rotterdam Film Festival

Park Chan-ok's second feature "Paju" has been selected as the opening film at 39th International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR), set to run Jan. 27 – Feb. 7 next year in the Netherlands' port city. Rutger Wolfson, the festival's director, called "Paju" a "triumph of resilience and a powerful female voice from Asia, ambitious and intimate at the same time".

Director PARK is no stranger to Rotterdam. In 2003, her feature debut "Jealousy Is My Middle Name", won the IFFR's Tiger Award for best film. In 2006, her project "Paju" was launched at IFFR's co-production maket, CineMart. PARK and the film's two leads will attend the upcoming IFFR to introduce the film to the opening night audience.

Starring Lee Sun-kyun ("Sa-Kwa"), Seo Woo ("Crush and Blush"), Shim Yi-young, and Kim Bo-kyung, it is an atmospheric tale of a schoolgirl (SEO) in love with her sister's husband (LEE). When her sister dies mysteriously, she suspects him of murder and complex emotions arise between them.

The film garnered impressive reviews from overseas critics during its world premiere at Pusan with young actress SEO's performance a highlight. The Hollywood Reporter wrote, "Seo delivers one of the most believable depictions of conflicted female emotion as has ever been put on film in Korea".

Along with PARK, other Korean directors to have won the Tiger award at IFFR include Yang Ik-june, who won last year for his directing debut "Breathless", and Hong Sang-soo for his debut, "The Day a Pig Fell Into the Well".

Nigel D'Sa (KOFIC)

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