A box office sensation in South Korea, this unconventional, sometimes violently graphic thriller focuses on cop-turned-pimp Joong-ho's probe into the recent disappearances of his prostitutes.  As Joong-ho is searching for one of his missing girls, Mi-jin, he spots and chases down a man he suspects may be holding Mi-jin captive, but they both wind up at the police station.  Onve there, he realizes that the man, Young-min, is a deranged killer and that he has only hours to find Mi-jin before the police, lacking evidence, must let Young-min go.  Hong-jin Na's execution of the plot is unpredictable, and he reveals the unapologetically sinister bad guy soon enough to allow plenty of time for twists and turns in the gripping events that ensue.

First feature film

Although living in extreme poverty in North Korea, Yong-su and his family find contentment and comfort just being together.  When his pregnant wife becomes ill, Yong-su secretly crosses the border to China to find medicine to cure her. There, he's arrested as an illegal worker and events quickly spiral out of his control.  He finds himself a pawn of the "North Korea Liberation Coalition," and is ultimately sent to South Korea.  Meanwhile, his wife's situation turns dire, and his son Jun is taken to a labor camp in Mongolia.  Undeterred by their circumstances, father and son keep faith that they will reunite.  More interested in life's injustices and cruel ironies than in taking sides in an impossible political situation, Kim's emotional film is this year's Korean submission for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar.

Selected Filmography: First Kiss (98), Volcano High (01), Romance of Their Own (04), A Millionaire's First Love (06).

Sponsored by the Oregon Korean Foundation.