Ivan Lee Jang Man-ok wins three Audience Awards for his first feature film

The film 'Jang Man-ok of Ivan-ri' is a queer comedy that unfolds around a village head election in a small rural town. After its release in theaters on June 10, the first thing that catches the eye is not the unfamiliarity of the subject matter, but the brightness of its attitude. The story follows Man-ok, a middle-aged lesbian who returns to her hometown, Ivan-ri, and runs for village head herself to face the interference of her ex-husband. Rather than lingering on indicting prejudice and hatred, the film follows the process of Man-ok persuading people, making them laugh, and helping them stand back up.

This work is director Lee Yu-jin's first feature film. It is noteworthy that before its release, her debut feature received the Korean Fantastic Audience Award at the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival, the Audience Award at the Namdo Film Festival Season 2 Gwangyang Namdo Feature Competition, and the Audience Award at the Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival. More important than the names of the awards is the fact that the Audience Award was repeated. This means that it wasn't just the choice of film festival juries, but that the audiences who saw it first responded to the film's rhythm and characters.

A film that starts with laughter and remains as support

In the official introduction of 'Jang Man-ok of Ivan-ri', Man-ok is portrayed as a person who returned to her hometown after things did not go as planned in Seoul. While she dreams of a comeback, her ex-husband, who is holding onto the position of village head, blocks her path, and eventually, unable to endure it any longer, Man-ok jumps into the election race. Looking only at this, the structure of the conflict is clear. However, the color of the film is closer to a village farce than a revenge drama.

The word that repeats in trailers and introductions is 'cheerfulness'. The reason this expression does not seem like a mere promotional slogan is that Man-ok's struggle is not confined to self-proof. Man-ok does not just vent her resentment to make herself understood. Sometimes slyly, and sometimes with enough boldness to be shameless, she shakes the hearts of the villagers. Therefore, the questions the film poses do not close heavily. It asks whether saying one worries about someone truly means standing by that person, and how often we feel fear at the very moment when support is needed.

The power of the first feature was first confirmed by 'Audience Awards'

Director Lee Yu-jin is a filmmaker who has dealt with queer narratives and stories of social minorities in her short film work. 'Jang Man-ok of Ivan-ri' is the first result of expanding that interest into the breath of a feature film. A trap that debut feature films often fall into is that the pace of the film becomes heavy as they pour out everything they want to say. Conversely, this work uses witty dialogue and situational comedy to make the audience approach the characters first.

Therefore, the Audience Awards received at Bucheon, Namdo, and Toronto Reel Asian are even more meaningful. Although the three film festivals differ in scale and character, they all share the fact that the audiences who saw this work chose it. In particular, the flow that led to invitations to overseas queer film festivals and Asian film festivals shows that while 'Jang Man-ok of Ivan-ri' starts as a story of a Korean local community, it has the potential to be read as a universal tale of support. The moment a local event like a village election expands into a story of a single person pushing through their life, the barriers of language and region become lower than expected.

The choice to center on Yang Mal-bok

Man-ok, played by actress Yang Mal-bok, is the central axis of this film. Man-ok is a character who could easily become flat if used merely as a brave figure. However, this role also requires the fatigue of making a living, the knack of someone who has endured for a long time, and the power to turn wounds into jokes. Yang Mal-bok's casting creates persuasiveness at that point. The cast, including Seong Jae-yoon, Park Wan-gyu, Kim Jeong-young, and Saek-ja, supports an ensemble where the entire village shakes slightly, rather than a composition where only Man-ok stands out.

The running time listed in the official screening information is 108 minutes, and the rating is for ages 12 and up. For audiences who might have guessed the film to be difficult or dark based only on the subject matter, this information is quite practical. Even for audiences who find the term 'queer' unfamiliar, the film lowers the entry barrier by showing the characters' words and actions first. Situations precede technical terms, and the characters' momentum comes before explanations.

How independent films expand

The reason 'Jang Man-ok of Ivan-ri' is welcome is not just because it is a film with good intentions. For a film with a clear message to reach the audience, merely saying the right things is not enough. There must be faces for the audience to follow, scenes they can laugh at, and the power to make them curious about the next scene. This film finds those conditions in the realm of comedy. While not consuming heavy themes lightly, it continuously gives the audience room to breathe.

The next point of confirmation after its release is the long-term screening and the reaction to the audience talks. An 'Indie Talk' is scheduled at IndieSpace on June 18, and the screening schedule for each work will continue. The success of an independent film is difficult to explain with only the first weekend numbers. A more lasting indicator is how many opportunities to meet the audience continue, and whether those who saw it bring other audience members again. 'Jang Man-ok of Ivan-ri' has already proven that possibility once with the film festival Audience Awards. Now, it remains to see how far that laughter goes in front of theater audiences.