“Haemoo,” a movie starring singer-turned-actor Park Yoo-chun, was officially invited to the New Directors New Films festival, which kicks off on March 28 in New York, the film’s distribution company, Next Entertainment World, said Monday.

(NEXT ENTERTAINMENT WORLD)

The festival, jointly hosted by the Museum of Modern Art and the Film Society of the Lincoln Center, selects the most remarkable rookie directors every year. This time, the movie director Shim Sung-bo was invited as the only Korean among the 26 full-length films.

Haemoo is based on the true story of fishing crews smuggling illegal immigrants into Korea in 2001. The film was already invited to the Toronto International Film Festival and the San Sebastian International Film Festival.

“The invitation is as if someone stands behind me when climbing a mountain,” said the director in a media interview.

The film’s producer, Bong Joon-ho, said, “This festival is very meaningful for a rookie director. We are very grateful that New York’s moviegoers have paid so much attention to the film.”

Shim is set to leave for New York next week to meet local fans during the festival.

(khnews@heraldcorp.com)