S. Korean indie film 'Old Partner' to be released in Japan

SEOUL, Sept. 16 (Yonhap) -- The South Korean documentary film "Old Partner
(Weonangsori)," which drew nearly 3 million viewers at home in 2008, will be
released in Japan later this year, the film's local distributor said Wednesday.

The low-budget film, which focuses on a decades-long relationship between an ox
and an aged farmer, will hit major cinemas including Cinema Rise and Ginza Cine
Pathos throughout Japan in December, Seoul's Indie Story said.
Winner of the 2008 Pusan International Film Festival, the movie's success was an
unprecedented feat in a country where local blockbusters and Hollywood movies
have dominated for decades.
Directed by emerging filmmaker Lee Chung-ryul, the movie also won international
honors at the Silverdocs Documentary Festival in Washington D.C. in June and the
Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival in May.
hayney@yn