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<Mother> Nominated at the 1st Cannes International Series Festival as the Only Competitor in the Official Competition Category in Asia
2018.03.12
The tvN drama ‘Mother’ (directed by Kim Chul-gyu / written by Jeong Seo-gyeong / produced by Studio Dragon), which has been received enthusiastically as a well-made drama, continues to be highly praised by the media, critics and viewers, and is invited to compete in the official competition category at the 1st Cannes International Series Festival (CANNESERIES).
On March 13th, France, at 9 AM local time, tvN drama 'Mother' received an invitation to compete in the category through the official announcement of the Cannes International Series Festival. Alvin Lewi, a representative from the Cannes International Series Festival said, “I’d like to welcome the dramas’ nomination for the official category,’ stating, “Only 10 series from nine countries were selected for the official competition category. I’m incredibly pleased that ‘Mother’ is selected to represent Asia.”
The Cannes International Series Festival is the main event of MIPTV 2018 and has great significance since it is first held this year. It will be held in Cannes, France from April 4th to 11th, and only 10 out of 130 works from around the world have moved on to the phase of the official competition. The ten works selected for the official competition will be screened at the Lumière Grand Theater from April 7th to 11th, with ‘Mother’ scheduled for the 9th at 12 PM.
The works competing in the official competition category are judged and awarded in five categories including Best Music, Best Screenplay, Special Performance Prize, Best Performance, and Best Series, with the awards ceremony slated for April 11th. Mother’s director Kim Cheol-gyu, screenwriter Jeong Seo-gyeong, and lead actors Lee Bo-young and Heo Yul are planning to participate in the red-carpet event that will be held prior to the awards ceremony.
Screenwriter Jeong Seo-gyeong achieved the feat of being nominated for the competition section of both the Cannes International Film Festival and the Cannes International Series Festival with the movie ‘The Handmaiden’ and the tvN drama ‘Mother.’ This is the first time for a Korean drama to compete on the Cannes stage.
‘Mother’ is a heartbreaking mother-daughter relationship between Sujin (Lee Bo-young), a teacher who is too cool-hearted to be a mother, and Hyena (Heo Yul), an 8-year-old girl abandoned by her mother. Kim Cheol-gyu’s directing that touches the hearts of the audience meets Jeong Seo-gyeong's dramatic script to create the best synergistic effects. In addition, passionate performances by actors Lee Bo-young, Heo Yul, Lee Hye-young, Nam Ki-ae and Ko Sung-hee puts the drama on the viewers’ 'Drama of 2018’ list.
Managing Director of Studio Dragon (the production company behind ‘Mother’), Park Ji-young stated, “We’re very glad that ‘Mother’ is being acknowledged. Currently the reality of child abuse is much worse in society than shown in the drama. ‘Mother’ is a story about mothers, and about family. I think that the fact that the drama is airing now is good timing. I’d like to thank the actors, director Kim Chul-gyu, and writer Jeong Seo-gyeong for working hard to make ‘Mother’ shine.”