Korean animator Yeon Sang-ho’s latest film “The Fake” won Best Animated Film Award at Festival Internacional de Cide de Gijon, an annual international film festival held in Gijon, Spain.

The film, the second feature-length work by Yeon, is a powerful tale of truth and deception, taking place in a rural Korean town on the verge of being flooded. It competed against 10 films in the section, and shared the prize with American animator Bill Plympton’s “Cheatin.”

The movie’s plot develops as the villagers ― who have little to their name ― fall for a young, good-looking Christian minister who seems to have the ability to heal the sick.

The minister says he and his co-worker will build a church and a house in another city where the villagers can all live together after the town is submerged, while collecting money from them.

The only person who is skeptical about the minister is Min-cheol, an infamous gambler who is known for abusing his wife and daughter. He accidentally discovers the minister’s co-worker is in fact a wanted swindler, but no one in the village believes what he says.

Director Yeon, who graduated from Sangmyung University with a degree in eastern painting, made his successful feature animated film debut with “The King of Pigs” in 2011. The film swept three awards at the Busan International Film Festival in the same year, and was featured in the Directors’ Fortnight section at the Cannes International Film Festival in 2012.

“The Fake” won the best animated feature film award at this year’s Sitges Film Festival in Spain in October and was also screened at the Toronto International Film Festival in September.

Released in Korea on Nov. 21, the movie is currently playing in local theaters.

By Claire Lee (dyc@heraldcorp.com)