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Fighter

Generation 14plus 2021
© Haegrimm Pictures
“I don’t have time to waste with fighting!” — “What do you mean, fighting? Jina...boxing is a sport.”

After successfully escaping North Korea and spending months in a social inclusion facility, Jina moves into her new apartment in Seoul. However, the path to a self-determined life continues to challenge the young woman. Her mother, who has become a stranger to her, lives somewhere in town, while her father is still stuck in the north. In order to raise the money for his escape, Jina toils day and night. Following a period of setbacks, she changes her tactics. While working in a gym, she puts on her boxing gloves. The sheer tension of her body reflects struggle for recognition far beyond the boxing ring. The film carefully tells the story of a refugee's fate in a divided country, the inner border of which is not just on the map.
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by Jéro Yun
with Lim Seong-mi, Baek Seo-bin, Oh Kwang-rok, Lee Seung-yeon, Park Seo-yoon, Kim Yoon-seo South Korea 2020 Korean 103’ Colour recommendation: 14 years and up

Part of the Berlinale Summer Special

With

  • Lim Seong-mi (Jina)
  • Baek Seo-bin (Tae-soo)
  • Oh Kwang-rok (Coach)
  • Lee Seung-yeon (Jina’s Mother)
  • Park Seo-yoon (Jina’s Stepsister)
  • Kim Yoon-seo (Yoon-seo)

Crew

Written and Directed by Jéro Yun
Cinematography Lim Chang-wook
Editing Jéro Yun
Music Oh Su-jin
Sound Design Kim Dong-han
Sound Seo Kyeong-won
Production Design Han Ju Ye-seul
Make-Up Liu Jing-dan
Assistant Director Salomé Dubois
Production Manager Choi Yeon-geun
Producer Kim Min-kyoung
Executive Producer Mo Sung-jin

World Sales

M-Line Distribution

http://mline-distribution.com http://mline-distribution.com

Produced by

Haegrimm Pictures

Berlinale Meets | Interview

Jéro Yun

© Haegrimm Pictures

Born in Busan, South Korea in 1980, he studied art, photography and film at the ENSAD in Nancy and at Le Fresnoy in Paris. His short documentary Promesse won the Grand Prize at the Asiana International Short Film Festival; his omnibus short The Pig screened at Cannes and Busan; his feature documentary Madame B., histoire d’une Nord-Coréenne won awards at film festivals in Moscow and Zurich while his short film Hitchhiker screened in the Directors' Fortnight at Cannes. In 2018, his debut feature film Beautiful Days opened the Busan International Film Festival.

Filmography

2009 In the Dark; medium-length film 2010 Promesse; short documentary 2011 Red Road; short film 2012 Looking for North Koreans; documentary 2014 The Pig; short film 2016 Madame B., histoire d’une Nord-Coréenne (Mrs. B., A North-Korean Woman); documentary · Hitchhiker; short film 2017 Letters; documentary 2018 Beautiful Days 2020 Song Hae 1927; documentary · Fighter

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2021