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With a nationwide Italian release coming on September 14th, an official screening and press conference for KIM Ki-duk's Pieta was recently held in Venice. Pieta is currently in competion at the 69th Venice International Film Festival and early reviews have generated a heated interest in the film as well as its actors and director. The event successfully introduced the movie to the Italian media, including the Italian national TV news and journalists from major Italian daily newspapers.

  

Following the screening, the press conference was held presided over by Venice Film Festival Artistic Director Alberto BARBERA, who helped to unearth KIM Ki-duk’s The Isle and Address Unknown before leaving the fest in 2001. Having resumed his duties as festival director this year. BARBERA and KIM had a joyful reunion at Venice thanks to Pieta.

 

When asked about the religious aspects of Pieta, KIM replied that, “There are many performances of Hamlet and Oedipus in Korea, I don’t think it’s a topic that's unfamiliar to the Korean audience.” Actress CHO Min-su was asked about her performance in the film, replying, “I play a woman who claims to be Kang- do's (LEE Jung-jin) mother. However, I thought approaching my character from a maternal perspective would be too easy, so I played my part with the sentiment that Kang-do is simply a man, not my son.”

 

At the press screening of Pieta there was a standing ovation of some ten minutes, which grabbed the attention of international media. A source at the festival said that this has only happened at Venice a handful of times in the past few years. The film also graced the front cover of Venews, the official daily magazine of the festival, desmonstrating the interest that both international buyers and the press have shown in the movie. Onlookers are now focused on the possibility of Pieta grabbing the Golden Lion Award and/or the Best Actress Award at Venice. Winners will be announced at 7pm on September 8th (CET).