Chung Ji-young's 'My Name' invited to Berlin film fest

▲ An English poster for South Korean director Chung Ji-young's "My Name," provided by Let's Films and Aura Pictures. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

Korean film-Berlin fest

Chung Ji-young's 'My Name' invited to Berlin film fest

By Shim Sun-ah

SEOUL, Jan. 16 (Yonhap) -- "My Name," the latest film from director Chung Ji-young, has been invited to screen at the Berlin International Film Festival, the film's production studios said Friday,

Starring Yeom Hye-ran of the hit Netflix series "When Life Gives You Tangerines," the mystery drama is set to receive its world premiere in the Forum section, a strand focusing on socially engaged and adventurous cinema, Let's Films and Aura Pictures said. Jang Jae-hyun's supernatural thriller "Exhuma" was also invited to the same category in 2024.

The festival described "My Name" as a work that delicately illuminates the trauma left by a tragic history across generations and underscores the importance of breaking a long silence, according to the studios.

Set against the backdrop of the 1948 people's uprising on Jeju Island, the film follows an 18-year-old boy who wants to cast off a name that does not suit him and his mother, who must protect that name at all costs, as they trace a 50-year-old promise hidden behind it.

Yeom plays the mother, who has raised her son alone and confronts the truth buried in her lost memories.

The Jeju uprising began on April 3, 1948, as a protest against the U.S. military-led administration following Korea's liberation from Japanese colonial rule. The government at that time labeled the unrest a communist revolt and carried out brutal crackdowns, killing an estimated 14,000 to 30,000 civilians. It remains one of the bloodiest government crackdowns on civilians in Korean history.

The movie is set for local theatrical release in April.

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