Peafowl

Dancer Myung has one last surgery left for her transition to be done. She could cover the costs by winning a dancing competition. But the jury decides that Myung’s dance is not original enough so somebody else will get the money. And what now? Without having the time to come up with a different plan, another problem appears: her father died and, as the only offspring, Myung must perform the traditional dance ceremony to help his soul find its way onward. It means Myung must return home to the conservative village she fled ages ago and never wanted to visit again. Her relatives don’t want her back either: Myung is too extravagant, too stubborn and too trans for them. But what if these different worlds intersect after all? Will they destroy each other, or may their connection give life to something beautiful and unique? Sung-bin Byun’s feature debut shows that returning to one's roots may be an opulent, wild performance. The film won a Watcha Award at the Busan International Film Festival, and actress Hae-jun was awarded by the L.A. Outfest jury for the best acting performance.

Sung-bin Byun

Sung-bin Byun is a director and screenwriter. His work often focuses on people belonging to social minorities. His short film God's Daughter Dance (2020) about a trans woman in the Korean army won many awards at Korean and international festivals and was screened at Mezipatra 2020. Peafowl is his directing and screenwriting feature debut.