‘Pig That Survived Foot-and-Mouth Disease’ wraps memorial screening, sets Oct. 21 theatrical release

‘Pig That Survived Foot-and-Mouth Disease,’ the final work by late director Heo Beom-wook, who died in July, has completed its memorial special screening and will open in theaters on Oct. 21. Indie Story Co., Ltd., the film’s distributor, announced the official release date along with news of the memorial ceremony and special screening held Sept. 12 at the Korean Film Archive.

‘Pig That Survived Foot-and-Mouth Disease’ is a hard-boiled animated film about a pig called ‘H,’ who miraculously survives a mass-culling pit and tries to become human, and a young man named ‘Jeong-seok,’ who chooses a beast’s life after enduring violence and bullying. The film questions the essence of humanity amid systemic control and violence. Heo Beom-wook wrote and directed the film after winning the Best Feature Award at the 2015 Holland Animation Film Festival for his debut feature, ‘Pale Faces.’

Voice actors including Nam Do-hyeong, Min Seung-woo, Kim Do-hee, Bang Si-woo and Park Ju-gwang took part in the film, while actor Han Woo-jin performed motion capture for 30 roles, bringing added vitality to the production. The film received official invitations to 35 major festivals around the world, including the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival and Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival. It also demonstrated its artistic merit by receiving a Special Mention in the Korean Fantastic: Feature competition at the 28th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival and winning the Best Film Award at the 50th Seoul Independent Film Festival.

Produced and provided by Heo Beom-wook Film, co-produced by Creative Island and distributed by Indie Story Co., Ltd., ‘Pig That Survived Foot-and-Mouth Disease’ will open in theaters on Oct. 21 with an adults-only rating.