Korean documentaries “The Empire of Shame” and “Paldang” have received accolades on the international stage. “The Empire of Shame,” which exposes the dark side of a conglomerate, and “Paldang,” based on the farmers’ fight to protect their land, won International Grand Prize and Asian Vision Merit Prize respectively at the 9th Taiwan International Documentary Festival and once again proved the power of Korean documentaries. 

The Taiwan International Documentary Festival, which brings together diverse documentaries from all parts of the world, is well familiar with Korean documentaries of various topics, such as “2 Doors” and “Sea of Butterfly.” This year was more meaningful as director Park Gyung-geun’s “Dream of Iron” took the Author’s POV Prize.

Meanwhile, the grand prize winner “The Empire of Shame” was praised for its cinematic value. “The film mournfully, but skillfully reveals the unjustness and hypocrisy of one of the world’s top companies with fierce anger,” said the jury. Award presenter and director of tributary documentary “Shoah” Claude Lanzmann praised the film as a beautiful work by a competent director.
 
Invited to the 19th Vision Du Reel International Film Festival, the 11th Hong Kong Asian Film Festival, the 3rd Hanoi International Film Festival, and the 17th Montreal International Documentary Festival, “The Empire of Shame” became widely known for its quality especially after winning the International Grand Prize at the 9th Taiwan International Documentary Festival. It continues to get ongoing support from audiences in Korea and abroad. 

The Asian Vision Competition that shows documentaries with a unique outlook on the Asian cultural background aims to find new styles of Asian documentaries and contribute to the Asian identity. Winner of the Merit Prize in this category, “Paldang” resonated with the Taiwanese audiences who are facing a similar development crisis.