Korean Film Invited to Screen at Berlin Film Festival

Director Lee Su-jin's new film "Idol" has been invited to screen at the Berlin International Film Festival next month. The festival's executive committee unveiled the titles for the non-competitive Panorama section on Monday.

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The film stars top veteran actors Han Suk-kyu and Sol Kyung-gu as well as actress Chun Woo-hee.

Lee's 2013 debut "Han Gong-ju", which made Chun a star, swept a host of film awards at home and abroad, including the International Film Festival Rotterdam in the Netherlands, the Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival in Spain and the Marrakech International Film Festival in Morocco.

Famed American director Martin Scorsese, who headed the Marrakech jury in 2013, said at the time, "'Han Gong-ju' is outstanding in mis-en-scene, image, sound, editing and performance. I have a lot to learn from this movie and I can't wait to see Lee Su-jin's next film".

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Panorama section, whose lineup is carefully selected to give audiences a range of perspectives and social messages. Previous Korean films invited to this section include "The Unjust" (2011), "Ode to My Father" (2015) and "The Bacchus Lady" (2016).

"Idol" is about a provincial politician whose career is threatened when his son commits a crime, causing the victim's father to try to obtain something he cannot have, while the life of a woman who was with the victim at the time spirals out of control.

The film is slated for commercial release this year.