S. Korea selects Venice-winning 'Pieta' for Oscar race
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Director Kim Ki Duk, actors Cho Min Soo and Lee Jung Jin pose for the photo call of the film 'Pieta' at the 69th edition of the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy on Tuesday, Sept 4, 2012. -- PHOTO: AP
SEOUL (AFP) - South Korea has chosen film director Kim Ki-duk's Pieta, which won the coveted Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival on Saturday, as its entry for best foreign film at next year's Oscars.
The Korean Film Commission said Thursday that Pieta - the story of a brutal loan shark who struggles for redemption - was the unanimous selection to compete for a nomination at the Academy Awards in February.
"The plot, depicting the destruction of human relationships by greed and poverty, can be widely understood and shared by Oscar juries and American audiences," the commission said in a statement.
"That was an important factor in our decision," it added.
