Game Theory Films has announced that MONGRELS, the debut feature film from Jerome Yoo, will make its hometown theatrical debut at the VIFF Centre starting February 14, 2025. The film, which recently received the prestigious FIPRESCI Critics Prize, will expand to select North American theaters in May for Asian Heritage Month, with additional dates and locations forthcoming.

Set in 1990s rural Canada, MONGRELS follows a Korean immigrant family navigating a new life while confronting personal loss. The story centers on a widower and his two children—Hajoon, a teenager seeking his identity, and Hana, a young girl longing for her late mother. Meanwhile, their father, Sonny, is tasked with eradicating the town’s growing feral dog population. The film explores themes of grief, survival, and cultural displacement, blending realism with dreamlike storytelling.

MONGRELS premiered at the 2024 Vancouver International Film Festival, where Yoo was honored with the Director’s Guild of Canada’s Horizon Award. It later screened at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF), earning both the FIPRESCI Critics Prize and the Special Jury Prize for its cast. The film has also been recognized at the Udine Far East Film Festival’s FOCUS ASIA program.

UK-France sales company Alief has acquired international sales rights to the film ahead of its screening at the European Film Market in Berlin. The North American release is being handled by Game Theory Films.

Jerome Yoo, a Seoul-born filmmaker based in Vancouver, is known for works that explore cultural identity and existentialism through a surreal lens. His previous projects include Gong Ju, River Boy Blues, and Idols Never Die, which was featured at the Cannes Short Film Corner.

The film’s cast includes Jae-Hyun Kim, Da-Nu Nam (To All the Boys: Always and Forever), Candyce Weir (The Hammer), and newcomer Sein Jin. It is produced by Nach Dudsdeemaytha (Akashi) and Tesh Guttikonda, with executive producers Matt Drake (Lucky Star), David Tomiak (Riceboy Sleeps), and Martin Glegg (The Chef & the Daruma).

Mongrels teaser I PÖFF28

MONGRELS was made with the support of Telefilm Canada, Creative BC, the Canada Council for the Arts, and Game Theory Films.




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