Israel’s “Sandstorm” wins top prize at Korea’s Jeonju Festival

PanARMENIAN.Net - Israeli director Elite Zexer’s “Sandstorm” won the Grand Prize and $18,000 at the Jeonju International Film Festival, Korea’s second biggest film festival, Variety reports.

“International competition has chosen ten films that attempted to show the bare-face of each nation. We wish to see more directors putting their efforts observing phases of society,” said Jean-Francois Rauger, juror and programming director of La Cinematheque Française.

Ted Fendt’s 35mm film, “Short Stay” took the best picture prize and a cash reward of $10,000 in the same section. A special jury prize went to “The Wounded Angel” by Kazakhstan’s Emir Baigazin.

Lee Hyun-ju’s “Our Love Story” and Ko Bong-soo’s “Delta Boys” shared the grand prize in the separate competition for Korean films.

Earlier, Kim Yang-hee’s “The Poet’s Love” was awarded the top prize and audience award for feature film pitching at the festival’s project market, Jeonju Project Market. Shin A-ga’s “The Snob” won the TV5 Monde Award.

Kim Hee-chul’s “The Painter’s View” won the grand prize for documentary pitching, while Cho Eun-sung’s “The Birth of Episonage” won TV5 Monde and audience award.

The festival will run through May 7 and close with a digitally remastered director’s cut of hard-boiled action drama, “Die Bad,” top Korean film maker Ryoo Seung-wan’s debut feature from 2000.