Return to Seoul
Co-presented by SCREENSHOT: ASIA at the University of Pittsburgh
Co-sponsored by the Office of Diversity, Inclusion, Climate & Equity at the Heinz College at CMU and the Asian Studies Center at the University of Pittsburgh
Directed by Davy Chou
Run Time: 119 mins
Released: France/2022
Language: French, Korean, English
Set over an eight-year time span, Return to Seoul follows Freddie’s journey back to her place of birth — a country to which she has never been and of which she does not know the language. Freddie, played by first-time actor Park Ji-Min, has never felt at home or comfortable in any setting, which may be why she ventures back to Seoul. Over the course of the eight years, Seoul, the city, and Freddie, its citizen, evolve with each new encounter. A story driven through change, Return to Seoul invites audiences to look closely at the experience of adoption, integration, and what it means to be “from” somewhere.
"'Return to Seoul' is a startling and uneasy wonder, a film that feels like a beautiful sketch of a tornado headed directly toward your house." — New York Times
Event includes
Virtual Panel with
Davy Chau, Director
Laure Badufle, Writer/Author
Katie Ozbek, Director of Korean American Adoptee Adoptive Network
Moderated by Andy Lee, PhD Candidate in Film and Media Studies, University of Pittsburgh
Special Performance by M2CPL and KPDC, CMU
Reception catered by Booksek and Sumi's Bakery
Davy Chou
Awards
Cambodian-French filmmaker Davy Chou is known for his 2009 featurette, The Twin Diamonds, and his 2016 premiere feature-length film, Diamond Island. Chou founded Vycky Films production company with Jean-Jacky Goldberg and Sylvain Decouvelaere in 2009, before embarking on a youth workshop series with 6 universities and around 60 students. In 2010 and 2011, Chou’s film endeavors took a personal turn as he moved to Cambodia, the country in which his father, Van Chann, had been a leading film producer in the 1960s. Chou set out to recover material and witnesses from Cambodia's oppressed golden age of cinema (1960-1975), resulting in his documentary, Golden Slumbers. In 2013, Chou helped launch Asia’s first heritage film festival in Phnom Penh. Diamond Island, Chou’s first feature-length film, was screened at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival, winning the SACD Award. He is up for Best Director at the Asian Film Awards for his most recent work, Return to Seoul.
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Selected under the Un Certain Regard section at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival
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Cambodia’s entry for Best International Feature Film at the 95th Academy Awards
Screening Soon!
Date: March 23
Time: 7:30 PM
Location: Harris Theater, 809 Liberty Ave, Pittsburgh