12-29-2023, 11:36 PM
Film Title: Nouveau Riche (사회등산, lit. social mountaineering)
Nominating Nation: Haesan
Nomination Category/Categories: Best Film, Best Lead Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Costume Design
Language: Haean (English dubbed version available, but seriously, just watch it with subtitles.)
Run Time: 2 hr 15 minutes
Director: Chang San
Producing Studio/Company: WonSan Studios
Cast:
Kim Yu-ri as Yoo Na-hyeon
Seo Chae-won as Lee Hae-in
Park Tae-in as Jeong Min-su
Brief Summary:
Suyang in the 1920s was an era of great opportunity, and for those who were well established, great excess. Nouveau Riche centers on Nahyeon (Kim Yu-ri), an academically gifted daughter of an industrial merchant, well enough off to have opportunity, but not wealthy enough to be truly rich. She scores extremely highly on her exams and attends Haesan University, the historic gathering place of heirs, heiresses, and generally young people who have more money than they know what to do with. There she befriends Haein (Seo Chae-won), from an extraordinarily wealthy mixed Haemin/Opthelian banking family, who has become disillusioned with the wealthy society she grew up around (her dialogue seems to indicate that she has been swayed by the Five Pillars, but that is never explicitly stated).
The plot accelerates when Nahyeon catches the eye of Minsu (Park Tae-in), the (wealthy! handsome!) heir apparent of a mercantile conglomerate. Haein receives an invitation to a grand gala that is hosted by Minsu's family, presumably to see what suitable matches are available amongst the nascent aristocrats of Haesan U. Haein, knowing of Minsu's interest in Nahyeon (and Nahyeon's interest in Minsu), decides that Nahyeon should take her place at the gala, since Haein has basically had it with the aristocracy anyways. In order to be accepted in high society (and at the door), Haein coaches Nahyeon about etiquette, the mannerisms of the elite, and forces her to memorize all of the intricate details of Haein's life up into that point (in a stunning three-minute cinematic montage). After suitable training, Nahyeon is ready to become Lee Hae-in.
The day of the gala arrives, and at first everything goes well for Nahyeon, she enters effortlessly, she socializes with the elites with ease, and even has a moment with Minsu. Then, of course, everything unravels spectacularly in a frenetic sequence where love, fortune, and status are precariously balanced, and seemingly only fate truly guides the outcome. Nouveau Riche weaves a tapestry of love, friendship, wealth, and prestige that brings the viewer on an unforgettable ride of deceit, intrigue, and suspense.
For your consideration:
Nouveau Riche is nominated for Best Film for its masterful use of cinematography, its unparalleled use of levity and shade, and for crafting a suspenseful tale that will scarcely be forgotten by its viewers.
Nouveau Riche is further nominated for Best Costume Design for its extensive use of period costumes of the 1920s era, its costume design team having scoured archives (whatever archives survived the Great War, anyway) for an accurate representation of the mixture of modern Opthelian design and traditional Haesanite profiles popular amongst the era's elite.
Kim Yu-ri is nominated for Best Actor, as she brings depth to the bookish Nahyeon, vividly displaying the tribulations and internal doubt that comes with changing one's identity, and embodying the lengths that one will go for love.
Seo Chae-won is nominated for Best Supporting Actor as she plays an exceptional comic relief as Haein, while also displaying immense nuance supporting Nahyeon as a friend and mentor while warding off signs of regret about abandoning the life of comfort she has always known.
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Film Title: Adrift
Nominating Nation: Misumi
Nomination Category/Categories: Best Musical Score, Best Documentary
Language: Mizu (English dubbed version available)
Run Time: 1hr 45 minutes
Director: KAWAMURA Tsutomu
Producing Studio/Company: Silver Star Productions
Cast:
KAMATA Noboyuki as Lieutenant Colonel Yokota
IZUMI Yuzo as Lieutenant Kamiya
MAEKAWA Kyo as Private Yamaoka
Brief Summary:
Adrift is the true story of a man placed in extraordinary circumstances, a tale of the limits of human decision making, the psychological toll of isolation, and the resolve of an individual who resisted both internal and external pressures to shape the course of history.
In 1978, at the height of tensions between Misumi and Lao Sansong, as border fortifications were being constructed through the rugged, remote Shimo Mountains, a young lieutenant colonel (Kamata Noboyuki) is transferred to a military camp at elevation to help oversee construction of the new defenses and monitor Sansongian military activity. As fall turns to winter, the remote camp high in the mountains (at an elevation 3500 m (11500 ft)) transforms into an eerie crypt blanketed in white snow and buffeted by gale force winds. The film's exposition centers on depicting life in these harsh conditions and how the challenges of daily life unite the ragtag crew of soldiers and also break them in their own unique ways.
Adrift's climax centers around one fateful day in December, when the radar system picks up an incoming missile strike from northern Lao Sansong. Amidst a blizzard, with discord within the group, and conflicting directives from the chain of command, the protagonist must determine how to respond to this imminent threat. His choice determines whether two nations go to war.
For your consideration:
Adrift is nominated for Best Documentary for its true to form, thoroughly researched depiction of a critical juncture in Mizu history along with its unique ability to immerse the viewer into the film's historical context.
Adrift is further nominated for Best Musical Score, as its minimalist, haunting soundtrack of wispy instrumental music easily transports the viewer to that remote mountain, while its innovative style of intentionally cutting out the soundtrack during some of the movie's most climactic moments makes the suspenseful plot feel even more intense.
Nominating Nation: Haesan
Nomination Category/Categories: Best Film, Best Lead Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Costume Design
Language: Haean (English dubbed version available, but seriously, just watch it with subtitles.)
Run Time: 2 hr 15 minutes
Director: Chang San
Producing Studio/Company: WonSan Studios
Cast:
Kim Yu-ri as Yoo Na-hyeon
Seo Chae-won as Lee Hae-in
Park Tae-in as Jeong Min-su
Brief Summary:
Suyang in the 1920s was an era of great opportunity, and for those who were well established, great excess. Nouveau Riche centers on Nahyeon (Kim Yu-ri), an academically gifted daughter of an industrial merchant, well enough off to have opportunity, but not wealthy enough to be truly rich. She scores extremely highly on her exams and attends Haesan University, the historic gathering place of heirs, heiresses, and generally young people who have more money than they know what to do with. There she befriends Haein (Seo Chae-won), from an extraordinarily wealthy mixed Haemin/Opthelian banking family, who has become disillusioned with the wealthy society she grew up around (her dialogue seems to indicate that she has been swayed by the Five Pillars, but that is never explicitly stated).
The plot accelerates when Nahyeon catches the eye of Minsu (Park Tae-in), the (wealthy! handsome!) heir apparent of a mercantile conglomerate. Haein receives an invitation to a grand gala that is hosted by Minsu's family, presumably to see what suitable matches are available amongst the nascent aristocrats of Haesan U. Haein, knowing of Minsu's interest in Nahyeon (and Nahyeon's interest in Minsu), decides that Nahyeon should take her place at the gala, since Haein has basically had it with the aristocracy anyways. In order to be accepted in high society (and at the door), Haein coaches Nahyeon about etiquette, the mannerisms of the elite, and forces her to memorize all of the intricate details of Haein's life up into that point (in a stunning three-minute cinematic montage). After suitable training, Nahyeon is ready to become Lee Hae-in.
The day of the gala arrives, and at first everything goes well for Nahyeon, she enters effortlessly, she socializes with the elites with ease, and even has a moment with Minsu. Then, of course, everything unravels spectacularly in a frenetic sequence where love, fortune, and status are precariously balanced, and seemingly only fate truly guides the outcome. Nouveau Riche weaves a tapestry of love, friendship, wealth, and prestige that brings the viewer on an unforgettable ride of deceit, intrigue, and suspense.
For your consideration:
Nouveau Riche is nominated for Best Film for its masterful use of cinematography, its unparalleled use of levity and shade, and for crafting a suspenseful tale that will scarcely be forgotten by its viewers.
Nouveau Riche is further nominated for Best Costume Design for its extensive use of period costumes of the 1920s era, its costume design team having scoured archives (whatever archives survived the Great War, anyway) for an accurate representation of the mixture of modern Opthelian design and traditional Haesanite profiles popular amongst the era's elite.
Kim Yu-ri is nominated for Best Actor, as she brings depth to the bookish Nahyeon, vividly displaying the tribulations and internal doubt that comes with changing one's identity, and embodying the lengths that one will go for love.
Seo Chae-won is nominated for Best Supporting Actor as she plays an exceptional comic relief as Haein, while also displaying immense nuance supporting Nahyeon as a friend and mentor while warding off signs of regret about abandoning the life of comfort she has always known.
_____________________________________________________________
Film Title: Adrift
Nominating Nation: Misumi
Nomination Category/Categories: Best Musical Score, Best Documentary
Language: Mizu (English dubbed version available)
Run Time: 1hr 45 minutes
Director: KAWAMURA Tsutomu
Producing Studio/Company: Silver Star Productions
Cast:
KAMATA Noboyuki as Lieutenant Colonel Yokota
IZUMI Yuzo as Lieutenant Kamiya
MAEKAWA Kyo as Private Yamaoka
Brief Summary:
Adrift is the true story of a man placed in extraordinary circumstances, a tale of the limits of human decision making, the psychological toll of isolation, and the resolve of an individual who resisted both internal and external pressures to shape the course of history.
In 1978, at the height of tensions between Misumi and Lao Sansong, as border fortifications were being constructed through the rugged, remote Shimo Mountains, a young lieutenant colonel (Kamata Noboyuki) is transferred to a military camp at elevation to help oversee construction of the new defenses and monitor Sansongian military activity. As fall turns to winter, the remote camp high in the mountains (at an elevation 3500 m (11500 ft)) transforms into an eerie crypt blanketed in white snow and buffeted by gale force winds. The film's exposition centers on depicting life in these harsh conditions and how the challenges of daily life unite the ragtag crew of soldiers and also break them in their own unique ways.
Adrift's climax centers around one fateful day in December, when the radar system picks up an incoming missile strike from northern Lao Sansong. Amidst a blizzard, with discord within the group, and conflicting directives from the chain of command, the protagonist must determine how to respond to this imminent threat. His choice determines whether two nations go to war.
For your consideration:
Adrift is nominated for Best Documentary for its true to form, thoroughly researched depiction of a critical juncture in Mizu history along with its unique ability to immerse the viewer into the film's historical context.
Adrift is further nominated for Best Musical Score, as its minimalist, haunting soundtrack of wispy instrumental music easily transports the viewer to that remote mountain, while its innovative style of intentionally cutting out the soundtrack during some of the movie's most climactic moments makes the suspenseful plot feel even more intense.