RETOUR À SÉOUL / RETURN TO SEOUL

On an impulse to reconnect with her origins, Freddie, 25, returns to South Korea for the first time, where she was born before being adopted and raised in France. The headstrong young woman starts looking for her biological parents in a country she knows so little about, taking her life in new and unexpected directions.

DAVY CHOU

Davy Chou (1983) is a French director and producer. Grandson of Cambodian producer Van Chann, directed Golden Slumbers (2011, Berlinale, Forum), a documentary about the birth of Cambodian cinema in the 1960s and its brutal destruction by the Khmer Rouge in 1975. He has also directed several short films including Cambodia 2099 (2014, Cannes, Directors’ Fortnight). His first feature, Diamond Island (2016), was awarded the SACD Prize at Critics’ Week at Cannes. His second feature, Return to Seoul (2022), is selected at Un Certain Regard at Cannes.

Reveiws:

Though Chou is neither a woman nor a Korean, nor an adoptee, he has managed to find something in 'Return to Seoul' that he clearly connects with, and that resonates with anyone else looking for their own place in the world, too.

Clarence Tsui, The Hollywood Reporter

 

A restless, graceful drama about identity.

Jessica Kiang, Variety