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29 Jan – 8 Feb 2026

Seoul Jesu

Jang Sun-Woo | Sun-Woo Wan | South Korea | 1986 | 102' | | IFFR 1997

Jang Sun-Woo (1993): ‘The film tries to imagine what would happen if Jesus Christ appeared in Seoul today. The original idea was to climax with his crucifixion, but we had to change it to a happier ending. We had two problems throughout the production: no money, and no cooperation from the authorities, who saw it as an anti-government film.’A mental patient who says he is Jesus and an orphaned street vendor team up to find a woman who embodies the spirit of the city of Seoul. The boy needs a surrogate mother, but the ‘madman’ believes that only the right woman can save the city from the fate threatened in the Book of Revelation. Their picaresque adventures on the streets reflect many realities of life under martial law in the years after the Kwangju Massacre. Chun Doowwan’s régime was right to suspect subversion, but Korea’s many Christians take a hammering too. Tony Rayns

Film details

Country of production
South Korea
Year
1986
Festival edition
IFFR 1997
Length
102"
Medium/Format
35mm

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