Washington [US]: South Korea has chosen filmmaker Min-ho Woo’s political thriller ‘The Man Standing Next’ as its nominee for the best international feature film category for the 2021 Oscars.
According to Variety, the film is set in the country’s period of military dictatorship and it revolves around the inner circle of real-life South Korean president Park Chung-hee during the period of 40 days before his assassination in 1979. Lee Byung-hun stars as the spy of the Korean Central Intelligence Agency whose machinations led to a change of the power of the country.
Lee is one of the Korean stars who crossed over to Hollywood in recent years. He has appeared in Paramount’s Antoine Fuqua’s ‘The Magnificent Seven’ remake, among other roles.
“The Man Standing Next is an attractive film featuring a rather dark side of the history of South Korea renowned for its phenomenal economic growth. Actor, Lee Byung-hun, who has name recognition in the U.S., gives a great performance in the movie,” Variety quoted the Korean Film Council as saying.
‘The Man Standing Next’ opened in South Korean film theatres in late January. (ANI)