The story of King Yeongjo, the 21st king of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), was directed by Lee Joon-ik, who crafted period dramas such as “King and the Clown” (2005) and “Once Upon a Time on a Battlefield” (2003). (image: still cut of the film The Throne)
SEOUL, Sept. 3 (Korea Bizwire) – “The Throne,” the tragic story of a Joseon Dynasty king starving his own son to death, was chosen as the Korean candidate for the Academy Awards’ best foreign language film next year, a Seoul-based film council said Wednesday.
The story of King Yeongjo, the 21st king of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), was directed by Lee Joon-ik, who crafted period dramas such as “King and the Clown” (2005) and “Once Upon a Time on a Battlefield” (2003).
The movie depicts how King Yeongjo struggled to keep his own throne in the face of various challenges and clashed with his son, eventually locking him in a wooden rice chest for eight days to slowly kill his own child.
Veteran actor Song Kang-ho plays the brutal king and rising young star Yoo Ah-in takes the role of the ill-fated crown prince, Sado.
“The Throne is based on Korean history, but it was well made to arouse a universal feeling that can also appeal to foreigners,” the Korea Film Council said.
The movie will hit local theaters on Sept. 16.
The Academy Awards picks the best foreign language film out of five final candidates during an annual ceremony held in Los Angeles every February. So far, no Korean movie has received nomination for the category since the award was launched in 1929.
(Yonhap)
