| Mongrels | |
| Director: | Jerome Yoo |
| Producer: | Nach Dudsdeemaytha Tesh Guttikonda |
| Starring: | Jae-Hyun Kim Da-Nu Nam Sein Jin |
| Music: | Jude Shih Tae-Young Yu |
| Cinematography: | Jaryl Lim |
| Editing: | Lawrence Le Lam |
| Studio: | Musubi Arts |
| Distributor: | Game Theory Films |
| Runtime: | 111 minutes |
| Country: | Canada |
| Language: | English Korean |
Mongrels is a Canadian drama film, directed by Jerome Yoo and released in 2024.[1] The film stars Jae-Hyun Kim as Sonny, a Korean widower who emigrates to Canada with his children Hajoon (Da-Nu Nam) and Hana (Sein Jin) after his wife's death; moving to a small town in the Canadian Prairies where he takes a job helping local farmers to cull the wild dogs that are plaguing their livelihoods, he finds that his status as a newcomer to Canadian society means he can relate more easily to the dogs than to his fellow townspeople.[1]
The cast also includes Candyce Weir, Morgan Derera, Jedd Sharp, Sangbum Kang, Cassidy Karin, James Corwin Bryant, Katelyn Vanier, Joliana Francisco, Alan Ramon Ward, Megs Calleja, Duke Murrdodge, Chris Byron, Vivian Davidson-Castro, Ryan Haneman, Karen Hyeyeon Choi, Natasha Bruce and Charlotte Ray in supporting roles.
The film received production funding from Telefilm Canada's Talent to Watch program for emerging filmmakers in 2020,[2] and was subsequently supported by Game Theory Films's new distribution initiative for BIPOC filmmakers in 2021.[3]
Jae-Hyun Kim, a former Korean actor who had retired from the business and was living off the grid in a distant suburb of Seoul, was found and cast only after Yoo traveled to Seoul to search for actors, and was set up on a video call with Kim through a mutual acquaintance.[4]
The film premiered at the 2024 Vancouver International Film Festival,[5] where Yoo won the Emerging Canadian Director award.[6]
The film was the winner of the FIPRESCI prize at the 2024 Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival.[7]