Director Hur Jin-ho (Credits: Variety)
South Korean director Hur Jin-ho has publicly thanked the Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF) for defending freedom of expression, as his political thriller “The Assassin(s)” opened the festival’s 37th edition on Wednesday — two weeks after Korea’s conservative opposition asked the festival to pull it.
“I am truly grateful to the film festival for protecting artistic freedom and the freedom of expression in cinema,” Hur said as the end credits rolled at the opening gala, “and I believe this decision by the festival will give great courage to those of us who made this film, including myself, the staff, and the actors.”
The Controversy
The storm began on October 6, when all 109 lawmakers of South Korea’s conservative People Power Party (PPP) sent a letter to SGIFF executive director Jeremy Chua — signed under the name of floor leader Jeong Jeom-sik — urging the festival to reverse its selection immediately. The party argued the film distorts history by leaving room to read then-President Park Chung-hee as linked to the 1974 assassination of First Lady Yuk Young-soo, his wife.
The letter also cited a survey in which 58.2% of respondents called the film historically distorted, and claimed it could sway international audiences unfamiliar with Korea’s past. The backlash has also affected the film’s home run: cast appearances at the Busan International Film Festival were cancelled amid safety concerns.
SGIFF Refuses to Back Down
The festival held its ground. In an October 7 statement, SGIFF said the film was chosen “through SGIFF’s independent curatorial process for its artistic merit and contribution to contemporary Asian cinema.” It noted the filmmakers have described the story as a fictionalised work combining real events with invented characters, and denied any intent to settle history or push a political agenda.
The festival also pointed to the film’s box-office performance, citing Korean Film Council data showing roughly 2.5 million admissions at home and a 47% seat occupancy rate over the Chuseok holiday.
SGIFF chair Boo Junfeng drew the line clearly: “We refuse to show anything that has been censored.” The festival screened the title unchanged, out of respect for the filmmakers’ creative vision.
The Film
“The Assassin(s)” — which world-premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and finished second runner-up for the festival’s international People’s Choice award — dramatises the August 15, 1974 shooting of First Lady Yuk Young-soo through a fictional reporter and detective pursuing those behind the incident.
Stars Shim Eun-kyung and Park Sung-hoon were expected to attend the Singapore opening alongside Hur, as the film plays out its theatrical run in South Korea after its September 23 release there.
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Source: Variety — read the full story there.
