According to the film’s representatives, it was selected for the Panorama lineup of the festival, which runs from April 16 to 25.
Launched in 2011, the Beijing International Film Festival is one of China’s leading international film events, along with the Shanghai International Film Festival.
The festival praised the film, saying it “densely portrays girls’ inner lives through director Yoon Ga-eun’s delicate, feminine perspective,” and that it “gently yet powerfully captures their choice to become the owners of their own lives when the world tries to define them.”
The invitation follows confirmation of a Chinese distributor, a notable step as Korean films have faced headwinds entering China since the so-called Korean cultural ban. With interest from local audiences and the industry continuing, expectations for a China release are rising.
The film won two awards at last year’s 9th Pingyao International Film Festival — the Roberto Rossellini Award jury prize and the audience award — and posted a 9.0 rating on China’s Douban platform, drawing strong local response.
It also opened in Hong Kong in January and received a 4.6 out of 5 rating on major local review sites. Audience comments included: “A film that offers small comfort and courage to everyone living with wounds,” and “Seo Su-bin’s acting is truly outstanding. She perfectly expressed complex emotions.”
'The Owner of the World' centers on an 18-year-old high school girl, Ju-in, whose motives are hard to read. After she alone refuses to join a schoolwide signature campaign, she begins receiving mysterious notes. The film has continued a long run at the box office, surpassing 200,000 admissions.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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