Will A Taxi Driver win an Oscar trophy? On September 4th, the Korean Film Council (KOFIC) announced its selection of JANG Hun’s democracy movement drama A Taxi Driver as its pick for the Best Foreign Language Film category at the Academy Awards which will take place in February, 2018. The evaluation was carried out by 11 candidates chosen among entries after the reception from July 5th to 19th, 2017. 

Featuring SONG Kang-ho, YOO Hae-jin and Thomas Kretschmann, a Hollywood actor from Germany, A Taxi Driver is an adaptation of the real story of a German journalist who tried to cover the Gwangju Democracy Movement against the Korean government’s media blackout and a taxi driver who helped him in May of 1980. Recently, KIM Sa-bok, the identity that the film’s lead character is based on, has drawn a lot of public attention to his family even though he couldn’t be found during the film’s production. 

“We discussed nominees intensely against the criteria including that of the Academy Awards.” YOON Min-ho, the head of the jury said. “A Taxi Driver was chosen because of factors such as depicting Asia’s human rights and democratic process based on a true story. Its universal humanism was considered for its ability to deliver its meaning and subject to audiences worldwide.” One of the judges revealed the selection was a unanimous decision for not only its core messages and but also completeness. 

A Taxi Driver faced stiff completion. Big movies such as documentary film Angdu, the Grand Prize winner at the Berlin International Film Festival, period epic The Fortress, crime thriller MEMOIR OF A MURDERER, action film The Villainess and suspense thriller V.I.P. were also in the running to represent Korea for the Best Foreign Language category.