Singapore Festival Opens With Hur Jin-ho's 'The Assassin(s)' After Korean Party Demands Pull
Singapore's film festival opened on Wednesday with The Assassin(s), a South Korean political thriller that had been the target of a demand to drop it. Director Hur Jin-ho thanked the Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF) for protecting artistic freedom and freedom of expression, according to Variety.
The demand came two weeks earlier. On Oct. 6, the People Power Party, the main conservative opposition in South Korea, wrote to SGIFF executive director Jeremy Chua on behalf of all 109 of its lawmakers. It asked the festival to reverse its choice of the film. The festival did not.
In a statement on Oct. 7, SGIFF said the film was picked through its independent curatorial process, on the strength of its artistic merit and its contribution to contemporary Asian cinema. Festival chair Boo Junfeng said the festival stands by its decision to open with the film. He also confirmed the festival's no-cut policy, meaning films are shown without edits.
The film opened in South Korea on Sept. 23. It depicts the shooting of first lady Yuk Young-soo at the National Theater on Aug. 15, 1974. The festival describes it as a procedural thriller, a story built around the steps of an investigation, set against a dictatorship where media freedom is suppressed and the law is bent. It runs 131 minutes and is rated PG13 on the SGIFF listing. The 8:30pm opening screening on Wednesday is listed as sold out on the festival website.
The row drew wider attention. Variety reported that Korean directors rallied behind the film, and that Busan International Film Festival jury president Zhang Yimou said history is written by people. Juror July Jung voiced dismay at the backlash against it. The lead cast includes Yoo Hae-jin, Park Hae-il and Lee Min-ho.
The festival's programme runs beyond the opening night. Cole Sprouse's Vintage Violence will close the festival, and Aamir Khan will receive a Screen Icon Award, Variety has reported.
