MANILA, Philippines — The Korean Film Council (KOFIC) has chosen disaster movie "Concrete Utopia" starring Park Seo-joon and Park Bo-young as the South Korean submission for Best International Feature Film at the 2024 Academy Awards.
The KOFIC said in a statement it tried to select "a film that is Korean, yet aims for a global standard, strikes a good balance between artistry and popularity, and appeals without resistance to the Academy Awards."
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The selection of "Concrete Utopia" was a unanimous decision as it "seems to be able to appeal to North America without being unfamiliar with the trend of K-culture and K-movie."
The Philippines has yet to submit a film, but there is still plenty of time before the announcement of the final list of Best International Feature Film nominees on January 23 next year, leading up to the 2024 Oscars on March 10.
"Concrete Utopia" opened in South Korea earlier this month as the country's No. 1 film and will have its North American premiere at the 48th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on September 9.
Related: WATCH: Park Seo Joon, Park Bo Young in 'Concrete Utopia' teaser
Park Seo-joon and veteran co-star Lee Byung-hun will be participating at the TIFF's "In Conversation With…" series to further discuss their movie, which will also screen in Hawaii and the horror-fantasy-focused Sitges Film Festival in Spain.
The disaster film directed by Um Tae-hwa and co-written by Lee Sin-ji is based on the second part of the webtoon "Joyful Outcast" ("Pleasant Neighbors") by Kim Sun-nik.
The movie follows survivors of a devastating global earthquake who have gathered at Hwang Gung Apartments, the only building still standing in Seoul. Arrivals threaten the physical and social stability of the apartment, leading to a series of changes.
Leading the residents is Byung-hun's Yeong-tak with the help of married couple Min-seong and Myeong-hwa, a social worker and a nurse, portrayed by Seo-joon and Bo-young, respectively.
Also in the cast are "Crash Landing On You" and "Reply 1988" actress Kim Sun-young, "All of Us Are Dead" star Park Ji-hu, and Kim Do-yoon.
"Concrete Utopia" will be released in the Philippines on September 20.
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