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Mongrels film image; three people standing by a window

Mongrels

Northern Lights

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World Premiere

The howling of wild dogs through the windows of a summer evening… In the middle of the night, a man talks to his dead wife on a disconnected telephone… Airplanes are swallowed up in the sky.

In rural Canada in the 1990s, a Korean family – a widower, his teenage son, and young daughter – attempts to find footing in a new land while navigating the dark forests of grief. Sonny has been hired to eradicate the feral canines plaguing the town, while sensitive Hajoon figures out what it means to be a man. Finally, young Hana, missing her mother, dreams up ways to make her return.

Gorgeous and brilliantly structured, Jerome Yoo’s first feature film is a lyrical and gut-wrenching tale of immigrant survival and resilience in Canada. Dreamlike, surreal, and filled with raw emotion, Mongrels is a remarkable study of family, loss, and hope in the midst of profound uprooting.

 

Sept 28: Q&A with director Jerome Yoo; producers Nach Dudsdeemaytha & Tesh Guttikonda; DOP Jaryl Lim; and actors Da-Nu Nam & Sein Jin

Sept 30: Q&A with director Jerome Yoo; producer Nach Dudsdeemaytha; editor Lawrence Le Lam; and Derek Kwan

 

Presented by

Media Partner

           

Community Partner

   

Director
Cast

Sein Jin, Jae-Hyun Kim, Da-Nu Nam, Candyce Weir, Jedd Sharp, Morgan Derera

Credits
Country of Origin

Canada

Year

2024

Language

In English and Korean with English subtitles

Film Contact
Content Warning

Animal cruelty

18+

At International Village

19+

At The Rio

111 min
BC Spotlight Drama Family Relations Q&As at VIFF Talent to Watch
Hodu Mob Films, Musubi Arts

Book Tickets

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Credits & Director

Executive Producer

Jerome Yoo, Nach Dudsdeemaytha, Matt Drake, David Tomiak, Martin Glegg

Producer

Nach Dudsdeemaytha, Tesh Guttikonda

Screenwriter

Jerome Yoo

Cinematography

Jaryl Lim

Editor

Lawrence Le Lam

Production Design

Adriana Marchand

Original Music

Jude Shih, Tae-Young Yu

Jerome Yoo headshot; Mongrels director

Jerome Yoo

Jerome Yoo is a Seoul-born filmmaker based in Vancouver. Drawing from his diverse upbringing in Canada, his work often explores the complexities of cultural identity and relationships with surreal elements. His short films, Gong Ju (2018) and Idols Never Die (2019), have garnered critical acclaim and been featured at festivals globally, including the Cannes Short Film Corner and TIFF’s Summer of Seoul program. Mongrels is Jerome’s debut feature and was funded by Telefilm’s Talent to Watch initiative.

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