Korean filmmaker Bo-sol Kim’s acclaimed new feature The Square has won the Best Animated Feature award at the 18th Asian Pacific Film Awards on Thursday night. The film, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival earlier this year, is described as a classic, tragic love story. It centers on a Swedish diplomat working in Pyongyang who falls in love with a N. Korean traffic officer. Under constant surveillance and strongly discouraged to interact with the locals, he begs her to come back to Stockholm, but complications arise when she abruptly disappears. Soon, the desperate diplomat becomes increasingly suspicious of everyone.
Written and directed by Bo-sol Kim, the feature is produced by the Korean Academy of Film Arts and distributed internationally by M-Line Distribution. The other nominated titles in this category were Wenyu Li’s A Story of Fire, Yasuhiro Aoki’s ChaO and Tommy Ng Kai Chung’s Another World. Jafar Panahi’s It Was Just an Accident was awarded the Best Feature prize at the event.
Tracey Vieira, chair of the Asia Pacific Screen Awards, said “The awards reflected one of the most diverse collections of perspectives the event had spotlighted.”
Motion Picture Association President and managing director for Asia Pacific Urmila Venugopalan added: “With more than 70 nations represented and an extraordinary mosaic of cultures, voices, and cinematic traditions, the ASPAs stand as a true global celebration of film. The Asia Pacific region is delivering stories that resonate across borders and speak to audiences in every corner of the world.”
Sources: Variety, Deadline.com
