Confession, Which is Ahead of Its Release in Korea, Won the Best Director Award

Director Ryoo Seungwan's Escape from Mogadishu won the Best Film in the Asian Film Section at the 42nd Fantasporto International Film Festival in Portugal. At the festival, which closed on April 10 (local time), Escape from Mogadishu won the Best Orient Express Film.

Against the backdrop of a civil war in Mogadishu, Somalia, in 1991, Escape from Mogadishu depicts a life-and-death escape by South and North Korean diplomats isolated in the area. With Director Ryoo Seungwan's unique direction for thrilling actions and excellent acting by the actors, including Kim Yunseok and Zo Insung, the film also topped the Korean film box office hit in 2021.

Rio Dominski, the executive director of the film festival, evaluated, “The story of violence caused by uncertainty leads to light,” adding, “The inhumane conflict in Somalia recovers its original state through the story of the escape and salvation of Escape from Mogadishu.”

Director Ryoo said, “I'm very honored to receive this big award at the Fantasporto International Film Festival. We are not free from war even at this moment. I hope our movie can help make this world more peaceful, I sincerely hope the war in Ukraine comes to an end,” delivering the message for the peace in Ukraine with his acceptance speech.

Meanwhile, Director Yoon Jongseok's Confession, which has not been released in Korea yet, also won the Best Director at the same festival. The film depicts the story of a businessman who is a suspect in a murder case in a sealed room, tracking the case to prove his innocence with a lawyer who has never lost her cases. Actors So Jisub and Kim Yunjin played the businessman and the lawyer, respectively.

At the acceptance speech, Director Yoon Jongseok said, “I can’t believe the movie has received favorable reviews abroad even before its release in Korea. I hope the global film scene can become active again so we can meet a lot of audiences.”

The Fantasporto International Film Festival is one of the three world's renowned fantastic film festivals, featuring genre films such as fantasy, SF, horror, and thriller.