Korean film wins Ecumenical Film Festival prize

The Korean film 'Nun Dul Dega Eomne' (Nowhere to Lay My Eyes) earned the prize of the Ecumenical Jury at the 79th Locarno Film Festival, held 5-15 August.

The Ecumenical Jury, appointed by INTERFILM and SIGNIS, awarded the prize, donated by the Evangelical Reformed Church and the Roman Catholic Church in Switzerland, to director Hong Sangsoo (South Korea).

The film centres on a daughter's first visit to her mother in ten years.

The daughter, Sanghee, together with her brother, visits her mother in the South Korean city of Jeju, where her mother runs a successful restaurant. Sanghee's stepfather is making a film about a "grass grave," and his daughter has taken up painting. They exchange news, unsolicited advice, and insincere compliments. On the morning of their departure, the other family members watch a film made by Sanghee.

The jury selected the film for its extraordinary human depth. "What do we focus on in our lives? Do we see the obvious or the invisible? How do we tell a story of truth?" The jury begins its statement with these questions.

"Nun Dul Dega Eomne takes us on a brief journey to a family reunion where expectations and relationships can be rekindled," the jury comments. "The dialogues unfold like precious pearls of universal and existential themes, offering an intense reflection on creativity and art."

The statement continues: "The film achieves extraordinary human depth in what is only seemingly superficial. With great empathy and subtle humour, it explores alienation and how difficult it can be to truly see one another and accept one another mutually."

For more information see: www.inter-film.org/filmarchiv/2026/nun-dul-dega-eomne