Jang Hun’s fact-based drama, “A Taxi Driver” has been selected as South Korea’s contender for the foreign-language Academy Awards race.
“Taxi Driver” is the story of a Korean taxi driver who becomes involved in a German journalist’s reporting of the Gwangju Pro-Democracy Movement in 1980. With top Korean actor Song Kang-ho (“The Age of Shadows”) and German star Thomas Kretschmann (“The Avengers: Age of Ultron”), the Showbox release has recently became the year’s biggest release in the country, crossing the 10-million admissions mark.
Song-starring films were submitted by Korea for the past two years: “The Throne” in 2015; and “The Age of Shadows” last year. The actor also joined the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) as one of the first Korean members in 2015.
The selection was made by a special committee of the Korean Film Council. “’Taxi Driver’ manages to illustrate not only the distinct characteristics of South Korea but also how human rights and democratization have been achieved in the Asian region,” said the Council in a statement. “With the film’s universal humanism, [the committee] believes that the core message of ‘Taxi Driver’ will be well received by international audiences.”
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