Han Gong-ju, a young high-school student, is a victim of gang rape. With great dramatic power this film denounces a sexist society which blames its victims and isolates them socially. It is possible to find within oneself the resources necessary to overcome such a tragedy, and the character of Han Gong-ju is swimming against the current of a certain kind of fatalism which would deny that life can triumph over death.
28th Festival International du Films de Fribourg
29.03.2014 to 05.04.2014
Fribourg
The 28th International Film Festival Fribourg with festival director Thierry Jobin had 12 productions from Asia, Africa, and Latin America in the International Competition for long films. The International Jury awarded the Regard d’or to Han Gong-ju by Lee Sujin, South Korea. The film also won the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury, endowed with 5.000 CHF. A festival hommage was dedicated to the history of Iranian cinema with films selected by Iranian directors themselves. Alongside a short film competition the programme offered sections as “Genre Cinema: Survive!”, “Decryption: Simple Cures for the Crisis”, a showcase for films from Madagascar, as well as a master class by the Brothers Dardenne.
Further information:
- www.fiff.ch
- www.kirchen.ch/filmjury
Awards of the Ecumenical jury
A cappella
Directed by:
2013
Constructors
Directed by:
2013
Two brothers and a sister, living in a highly precarious situation, try to assert their legal rights to build a house and establish a home. By the originality of its approach and the creativity displayed this film deals with a deeply human relationship.
More about the festival
The 28th Festival International de Film de Fribourg took place from 29th March – 6th April 2014. This year feature films in the International Competition Section were a mixture of fiction and documentary and were dominated by the inter-related themes of rebellion and resistance, personal dilemma and social context. The Ecumenical Jury and the International Jury both awarded their main prizes for Best Feature Film to Han Gong-Ju (South Korea, 2013) by Lee Sujin and the Ecumenical Jury also gave a Commendation to Constructors (Kazakhstan, 2012) by Adilkhan Yerzhanov. Report by jury member Alan Foale
