Return to Seoul/TOKYO FILMeX Competition


Return to Seoul
Introduction

Germany, France, Belgium / 2022 / 116 min
Director:Davy CHOU

Born in Korea and raised by her adoptive parents in France, 25-year-old Frédérique Benoît, known as Freddie, lands in Korea for the first time after a typhoon causes a rerouting. With the help of her new friend/hotel worker named Tena, Freddie impulsively begins to search for her biological parents in a country where she doesn't speak the language and knows almost nothing. She then succeeds in meeting her real father, although her mother remains a mystery.... This is the second fiction feature film following “Diamond Island" (2016) by director Davy CHOU, who was born in France to Cambodian parents. The film follows Freddie's fascinating metamorphosis over the course of several years as she follows her own natural rhythm along a winding road, always heading in unknown directions. Elegantly shot and edited, with effective use of music in clubs and other settings, Freddie's very presence in the moment comes strongly to us, the viewers. The film had its world premiere in the Un Certain Regard section at the 75th Cannes Film Festival.

Director Davy CHOU

Davy Chou is a French director and producer born in 1983, based between Paris and Phnom Penh. He co-founded the French production company Vycky Films and the Cambodian production company Anti-Archive. Grandson of Cambodian producer Van Chann, Davy Chou directed in 2011 “Golden Slumbers” (Forum - Berlinale 2012), a documentary about the birth of Cambodian cinema in the 1960s and its brutal destruction by the Khmer Rouge in 1975.
He has also directed several short films including “Cambodia 2099” (Directors' Fortnight - Cannes 2014). His first feature, "Diamond Island", produced by Aurora Films and co-produced by Anti-Archive and Vandertastic, was awarded the SACD Prize at Critics’ Week- Cannes 2016. His second feature, "Return to Seoul", produced by Aurora Films and co-produced by Vandertastic and Frakas Productions, is selected at Un Certain Regard – Cannes 2022. In parallel, Davy Chou continues his activity as a producer: he has recently produced Cambodian filmmakers, including Kavich Neang ("White Building" - Venice Film Festival 2021) and was also line producer on "Onoda: 10,000 Nights in the Jungle" by Arthur Harari (Un Certain Regard – Cannes 2021).

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