"Lost Tremendous Talent" Director Heo Beom-wook Passes Away in Fire Accident.. Waves of Mourning from Film Industry [Comprehensive]

*This content was translated by AI.

The release of the feature-length animation "Pig Who Survived Foot-and-Mouth Disease," directed by the late Heo Beom-wook, has been temporarily postponed following his passing.

Distributor and production company Indiestory announced on the 28th through an official statement: "Director Heo Beom-wook, who directed the feature-length animation 'Pig Who Survived Foot-and-Mouth Disease,' passed away early this morning while receiving treatment for an unexpected fire accident that occurred on the 23rd."

As a result, the release of the film "Pig Who Survived Foot-and-Mouth Disease," scheduled for August 5, has been temporarily postponed.

Indiestory stated, "We will provide further information regarding the release and related schedules after the bereaved family and production team have had time to compose themselves," adding, "We ask for your deep understanding and generous consideration from audiences and media representatives."

The company further added, "We deeply mourn Director Heo Beom-wook, who dedicated his passion to Korean animation, and offer our sincere condolences for the repose of his soul."

Tributes from the film industry continue. The Seoul Independent Film Festival Executive Committee stated: "The late director showcased the indomitable will and challenge of Korean independent animation through every work. It is even more regrettable and shocking that he left us just before the August 5 release of his long-awaited second feature, 'Pig Who Survived Foot-and-Mouth Disease.'"

Joo Sung-cheol, editor-in-chief of Cineplay, expressed condolences via social media: "'Pig Who Survived Foot-and-Mouth Disease' is less than ten days away from its release, and I am so heartbroken and angry. We worked incredibly hard to bring it this close to release, yet we have lost a tremendous talent in the film industry. May his soul rest in peace."

Meanwhile, Director Heo Beom-wook began his journey as a director after producing the short animation "Ordinary Meal" in 2009 and enrolling in the Animation Department of the Korean Academy of Film Arts in 2010. In 2015, he won the Grand Prize at the 18th Holland Animation Film Festival with his short film "Pale Faces."

The second feature-length animation, "Pig Who Survived Foot-and-Mouth Disease," is a hardboiled hellish cartoon where a 'pig' trying to become human and a 'human' trying to become an animal are entangled. Through the survival struggle of 'Pig H,' who seeks to escape the control of a giant 'system,' and the human 'Jeong Seok,' the work reveals the violence and essence of humanity in modern society. It has been invited to 35 film festivals worldwide, including Annecy, Sitges, and Bucheon, and received recognition for its artistic merit and originality at major domestic and international film festivals, winning the Best Film Award at the 50th Seoul Independent Film Festival.

The late director's wake has been set up in Special Room No. 3 of Han River Seongsim Hospital Funeral Hall, with the funeral procession scheduled for 8 a.m. on the 30th. The burial site is Seoul Memorial Park.

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*This content was translated by AI.