We’re happy to host four exclusive images from writer/director Kim Ki-Duk’s Pieta, winner of the Golden Lion at the 2012 Venice Film Festival.  The film centers on a lonely and reclusive loan shark who uses brutal tactics to mercilessly collect what he’s owed.  When a woman arrives on his doorstep and claims to be his long lost mother, the man’s dark past is torn open anew.  In his review, our own Patrick Cooper called Pieta, “a challenging tale of revenge and motherly love that knows no boundaries.”

Pieta is available now on VOD and through iTunes with a theatrical release starting May 17th.  Hit the jump to view the images along with the trailer, synopsis and poster from the film.

The films of prolific South Korean director Kim Ki-duk have delved into some of the ugliest sides of human nature, as well as some of the divine.  He’s an auteur capable of being both grotesquely controversial (The Isle) and peacefully introspective (Summer, Fall, Winter…and Spring).  The sharp divide in style and themes meets head-on in his new film, Pieta, a challenging tale of revenge and motherly love that knows no boundaries.  Not even the gross ones.  The film won the Golden Lion at last year’s Venice International Film Festival and now its hitting the States.  Proceed past the jump for my review of Kim Ki-duk’s Pieta.

The award winners for the Venice Film Festival have been announced, but quite the controversy has arisen from the ceremony.  THR reports that the Michael Mann-led jury was poised to give Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Master the festival’s top prize, the Golden Lion, but due to a ridiculous festival rule they opted to give the award to Kim Ki-Duk‘s revenge film Pieta instead.  Apparently the Venice Film Festival’s new rules state that one film cannot win more than two major awards, so in lieu of the Silver Lion directing award going to Anderson and the acting award being split by Philip Seymour Hoffman and Joaquin Phoenix, the jury was asked to reconvene and “remove” one of The Master‘s awards.

As one can imagine, a heated jury session followed that ultimately resulted in The Master’s Golden Lion being taken away.  Ah, awards season.  Nevertheless, the film is currently making the rounds at the Toronto Film Festival so check back on Collider soon for Matt’s full review.  In the meantime, hit the jump to check out the full list of awards from the Venice Film Festival.