Film Distribution

There existed an ox in Korea, which had lived for nearly 40 years. The media reported the affair to a great extent in 2007, which attracted the attention of LEE Chung-ryoul, the filmmaker of Old Partner. When he visited the ox, he found that it was a companion of an octogenarian, CHOI, for almost 30 years. Oxen normally live for about 15 years, so how this old partner of CHOI could go against nature and lived for 40 years?

CHOI suffered from poliomyelitis as a child; with an atrophied leg it has always been difficult for him to even walk without a cane. For 30 years, the ox pulled a cart which CHOI used as transportation to and fro the farm, and helped him to plough the farm even when it was too frail to walk. The pair was like father and son; their vigorous bonding was developed through life-long companionship.

Unfortunately, the veterinarian told CHOI that the ox could only live another year. LEE the filmmaker decided to film the last days of the ox and his old partner CHOI. LEE used almost two years to finish the documentary Old Partner; however, the film is only 77 minutes in length after editing. Nevertheless, this documentary has captured the companionship and sentiments between a man and an ox.

Although the production cost was only HK$1million, the box office in Korea was US$15million, which is approximately HK$120million, equivalent to approximately 3.5million viewers in Korea. Old Partner is one of the films in history which is made with a low budget that has a box office success and won great eminence worldwide in film industry. Filmmaker LEE has moved the panel of all film festivals with his sincerity in the making of Old Partner. Old Partner has already won the Best Documentary of Sundance and Pusang Film Festivals, and is the most popular nominee for the Best Documentary of Golden Globe and Oscars Awards.

Old Partner commemorates the selflessness and loyalty of oxen and other animals toward humankind, which we might have forgotten at times. Through Old Partner, let’s not forget the contributions these animals have on us and the development of the world.