Director Ahn Hye-rim Wins Big at Moscow International Film Festival with Heartfelt Short Film ‘Jeong-dong’!

“I wanted to break the negative prejudices against Joseon-jok and express my hope that our society will warmly embrace our multicultural neighbors.”

Director Ahn Hye-rim (35), an ethnic Korean from China, shared these thoughts in an interview on May 14 after winning the Best Short Film award at the 48th Moscow International Film Festival held from April 16 to 23 in Moscow, Russia.

Her winning film, ‘Jeong-dong’, has achieved a hat-trick of success, following selections at the 16th Beijing International Film Festival and the 14th Diaspora Film Festival.

During her acceptance speech, Director Ahn thanked the festival and the jury, adding, “I want to give this trophy to my mother as the best gift for her 60th birthday this year.”

While the film premiered in Russia, it will make its Korean debut at the 14th Diaspora Film Festival, hosted by the Incheon Film Commission, on May 24 and 25 at the Aegwan Cinema in Incheon.

‘Jeong-dong’ is a 21-minute film that tells the story of Park Rim, a Joseon-jok youth who comes to Korea to be with his mother following the sudden death of his father.

Park Rim starts as an intern at a company, but after hearing that “Joseon-jok lack a sense of responsibility,” he strives to shed that label, only to receive a full-time job offer from China.

This leads to conflict between Park Rim, who wants to stay in Korea and continue his internship, and his mother, who encourages him to seize the great opportunity.

After being excluded from a business trip and eventually leaving the company, Park Rim feels a sense of emptiness. In a poignant scene at a subway station, he asks his mother, “Do you want to go to China with me?” She replies, “Later,” and the film ends with the two walking together along Daelim-ro.

“I added dramatic elements to things I personally experienced when I first came to Korea, and the family story was created by combining stories from friends and acquaintances,” Director Ahn explained.

The title ‘Jeong-dong’ refers to the dynamic changes in emotion. Director Ahn emphasized the psychological journey of the protagonist gradually opening up to his mother. To enhance realism, she cast actual Joseon-jok actors and her own mother.

Director Ahn laughed, recalling, “My mother is naturally comfortable in front of the camera, but she struggled a bit by forgetting her lines on set.” She also admitted that drawing out the actors’ emotions was the most challenging part of production.

Through her work, Director Ahn hopes to change the negative image of Joseon-jok often portrayed in movies and dramas.

“Actually, the well-educated younger generation of Joseon-jok doesn’t come to Korea often. Even if they do, they often return to China after coming for their parents. I wanted to show the changing face of the younger generation,” she noted.

She also touched upon how compatriots who migrate from overseas are often treated as foreigners upon arriving in Korea. She emphasized, “Now that there are many multicultural families, I hope Korea becomes a society that is more open to immigrants.”

Director Ahn shared that the jury president of the Moscow Film Festival praised the work, stating, “It must have taken great courage for a Joseon-jok person to bring up this story. It was handled with great talent, and the mother’s acting was particularly striking. It is a realistically completed work.”

Born in Dalian, China, in 1991, Director Ahn has been interested in the arts since childhood and learned acting in middle school. After passing an entrance exam for directing upon graduating high school, she majored in theater directing in college and first encountered film while visiting Korea as an exchange student.

‘Jeong-dong’, her graduation project from Chung-Ang University’s Graduate School of Advanced Imaging, is her third film. Her first work, ‘Dam’ (The Wall), tells the story of a young man overcoming frustration through a part-time job at a restaurant, and her second, ‘Be the Light’, was inspired by sexual harassment prevention education.

When asked about her future plans, Director Ahn revealed, “I am preparing a feature-length film.” She plans to explore themes of Joseon-jok diaspora identity and feelings toward their hometown.