Late Heo Beom-wook’s Final Film to Screen Oct. 12 at Korean Film Archive

Auteur animator who died in an unexpected accident breathes again on the screen

A memorial event will be held for director Heo Beom-wook, who died in an unexpected fire in July. The “Korean Film Archive” said it will hold a special memorial screening Oct. 12 at “Cinematheque KOFA” to look back on the late filmmaker’s artistic legacy.

The program will feature Heo’s early short “A Common Meal” (2009), along with his second feature-length animated film, “The Pig That Came Back Alive From Foot-and-Mouth Disease,” which reflects his final creative passion. A solemn memorial ceremony will be held before the screening, while a special exhibition in the theater lobby will offer an in-depth look at the late filmmaker’s distinctive body of work.

Heo’s final film, “The Pig That Came Back Alive From Foot-and-Mouth Disease,” follows the intertwined paths of a pig that survives the threat of culling and a young man who yearns to become a beast himself. The film has won widespread acclaim from critics at home and abroad, including an invitation to the prestigious “Annecy International Animation Film Festival” in France, a special jury mention at the “Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival,” and the Best Picture award in the feature animation category at the “Seoul Independent Film Festival,” the first time the prize had been awarded in that category.

Heo had already established himself as a singular voice in South Korea’s independent animation scene in 2014, when his first feature, “Pale Faces,” won the grand prize in the feature category at the 30th “Holland Animation Film Festival.”

“The Pig That Came Back Alive From Foot-and-Mouth Disease” had initially been scheduled for a theatrical release in August, but the date was pushed to October after the tragic fire in July. Held before the film’s official release, the special screening is expected to offer a particularly meaningful opportunity to witness on screen the final effort of an artist who refused to compromise despite working in difficult conditions.