Filmmaker Kang Mija’s Spring Night (2024), Officially Invited to the 75the Berlinale

Director Kang Mija, an alumna of the School of Film, TV & Multimedia, joined the 75^th Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) with her film Spring Night (Bombam) (2024) on official invitation.

Spring Night (2024) is a drama about love between two desperate souls – helpless alcoholic Yeong-gyeong and Su-hwan, a severe rheumatism patient – who discover each other at death’s doorstep. The Forum is a non-competition section that introduces films casting fresh perspectives on film as media. Program coordinator Barbara Wurm explained that the section’s lineup this year included contemporary works of various cultural and commercial backgrounds that observed and questioned changes of our time.

Spring Night (2024) is director Kang’s second feature film, inspired by its eponymous novella and poem. Actress Han Yeri as Yeong-gyeong and actor Kim Seoljin as Su-hwan portray a poignant love story. The film was first revealed to the public through the World Premiere the 29^th Busan International Film Festival. It gained the Special Jury Award at the 50^th Seoul Independent Film Festival.

Sixteen years ago, actress Han Yeri, an alumna of the Department of Korean Traditional Dance, turned as Suki, a middle-school student in Yanbian, China, in Kang Mija’s first feature film, Let the Blue River Run (2008). In her second collaboration with Kang, Han as Yeong-gyeong intensifies the storyline with her elaborate acting to sketch the character’s deep emotions. Meanwhile, Kim Seoljin, a choreographer who graduated from the Department of Dance Performance, made his feature film debut in this work. Kim details Su-hwan’s movements in pain, adding quality to the work.

Celebrating its 75^th anniversary, this year’s Berlinale is held from February 13 to 23. The event’s complete list of programs and screening schedule was released on February 4 through the Berlinale’s official website. Spring Night (2024) will finally meet its global audience at Berlinale in February 2025.