Director Kim Ki-duk’s Venice International Film Festival prize-winning “Pieta” has been selected as Korea’s entry to the 85th Academy Award’s foreign film section, the Korean Film Council announced on Thursday.

A total of five films, including “Taste of Money” by director Im Sang-soo, “In Another Country” by director Hong Sang-soo, “Nameless Gangster” by Yun Jong-bin and “Masquerade” by Choo Chang-min applied to the film council to be considered as Korea’s entry to the Academy Awards. “Pieta” was chosen unanimously, the Korean Film Council said in a statement.

The overall quality of the film, the possibility of distribution in the U.S., and level of awareness of the film as well as of the director were considered in reviewing the films for submission to the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

A number of Korean films, namely “Mother,” “A Barefoot Dream” and “The Front Line,” were previously submitted to the academy but failed to win awards.

“Pieta” opened in theaters on Sept. 6 and has attracted 171,522 viewers as of Thursday afternoon. The Academy Awards will be presented in February 2013.

By Lee Hyun-jae, Intern reporter
(lhj137@heraldcorp.com)