Archive of films El Condor Pasa / Con-dor-eun Nal-ah-gan-da

South Korea
2012, 102 min

Section: Another View
Year: 2013

Tragedy enters the life of a Catholic priest and he feels responsible. The latest picture by leading Korean art-house director Jeon Soo-il, who competed at KVIFF 2009 with the contemplative film Himalaya, Where the Wind Dwells, blends spiritual investigation with introspective personal drama.

Synopsis

Catholic priest Park suffers from guilt for a tragedy that he didn’t cause directly, but whose circumstances are enough of a burden to keep him awake at night. Making contact with the victim’s sister doesn’t help either, although he fully understands and shares her sorrow. Together, they scatter the dead woman’s ashes, but they can’t be a support for each other. When it seems as if there is no way out, Park sets off on a pilgrimage to another continent in the hope of finding relief. This sensitive drama, filmed at a meditative pace, explores countless urgent questions while offering viewers numerous picturesque shots without, however, relying on their innate beauty. At the same time, it is careful not to shock. A contemplative and quiet film with touches of the spiritual, El Condor Pasa shows a similar interest in its main protagonist and his difficult journey as in the director’s previous film Himalaya, Where the Wind Dwells. It isn’t easy to understand this suffering man, but the film’s dreamlike atmosphere makes it possible in other, ultimately more profound ways than that of conventional dramas.

About the director

Jeon Soo-il (b. 1959, Sokcho, South Korea) is a leading South Korean director of art-house movies who also works as a screenwriter. He studied film and theatre at Kyungsung University in Busan, followed by a master’s and doctorate degree at Université Paris Diderot-Paris 7. His debut film was the medium-length The Wind Echoing in My Being (1997). The Karlovy Vary festival screened his next two films The Bird Who Stops in the Air (Sae nun Pey sok sun eul g rin da, 1999) and With a Girl of Black Soil (Geomen tangyi sonyeo oi, 2007). In 2009, he was in competition with the contemplative Himalaya, Where the Wind Dwells (2008), followed by I Came from Busan (Yeong-do Da-ri, 2009) and the gripping drama Pink (2011), which he also edited. He shoots his films through his own independent production company Dongnyuk Film.

Contacts

M-Line Distribution
3F Mido Bldg., 540-21 Shinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, 135-889, Seoul
Korea (Republic of)
Tel: +822 344 415 99
Fax: +822 796 2429
E-mail: [email protected]
www: www.mline-distribution.com

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About the film

Color, HD CAM
International premiere

Section:	Another View

Director:	Jeon Soo-il
Screenplay:	Jeon Soo-il
Dir. of Photography:	Kim Sung-tai
Music:	Kang San-eh
Editor:	Ahn Hyun-geon
Producer:	Jeon Soo-il
Production:	Dongnyuk Film
Cast:	Cho Jae-hyun, Bae Jeong-hwa
Contact:	M-Line Distribution

Guests

Jeon Soo-il

Film Director