“Mother” wins award at Argentine film fest

Korean film “Mother” has received the SIGNIS Award at the 24th Mar del Plata International Film Festival in Argentina, according to the film’s producer Barunson Film on Tuesday.

The SIGNIS award -- officially called the SIGNIS Great Award to Best Film from the international competition -- is given by the World Catholic Association for communication, an organization that supports the use of media as instruments for promoting peace, development and human rights.

The film festival committee praised the Bong Joon-ho pic, saying that it is “an exceptional film which explores what a mother wanting to protect her son is capable of” and that it “combines many different genres and is rich in its expressions.”

“Mother", which stars Korea’s veteran actress Kim Hye-ja and Hallyu star Won Bin as the mentally disturbed son, has been sold to 12 countries including Australia, Brazil, England, France, Germany, Portugal and U.S.