Ryoo Seungwan Action Hit Follows in the Footsteps of PARASITE 

Director Ryoo Seungwan’s summer action hit Escape from Mogadishu has been selected as this year’s Korean submission to the Best International Feature category of the Academy Awards.

The film follows Woo Minho’s political drama The Man Standing Next (2020), which was Korea’s Academy Awards pick last year, but ultimately failed to make it to the shortlist.

Based on events that took place in the early 1990s, Escape from Mogadishu takes place in the Somalian capital where diplomats from the North and South Korean embassies try to pull strings to get their countries admitted into the United Nations. Their tireless efforts are put on hold when the Somalian Civil War erupts, and the rivals must join forces to find a safe way out of the war-torn city. Kim Yunseok and Huh Joonho play the South and North Korean ambassadors, respectively, while Zo Insung and Koo Kyohwan play their consuls.

Released this summer, Escape from Mogadishu has been the biggest hit at the Korean box office this year, having welcomed almost 3.6 million viewers (USD 28.77 million)

Only two Korean films have ever advanced to the shortlist stage of the Best International Feature category, Lee Changdong’s Burning (2018) and Bong Joonho’s Parasite (2019). Parasite became the first Korean film to make it to the final five nominees and went on to make history by winning the category, as well as the Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Screenplay.

The shortlist for the Best International Feature category at the 2022 Oscars will be unveiled on December 21, with the final nominees following on February 8 before the Academy Awards ceremony on March 27.