Shortly afterwards, Bong began shooting his first feature "Barking Dogs Never Bite" (2000) under producer Cha Seung-jae, who had overseen the production of both "Motel Cactus" and "Phantom: The Submarine". The film, about a low-ranking university lecturer who abducts a neighbor's dog, was shot in the same apartment complex where Bong had lived after his marriage. At the time of its release in February 2000, it received little commercial interest but some positive critical reviews. It was invited to the competition section of Spain's San Sebastián International Film Festival, and won awards at the Slamdance Film Festival and Hong Kong International Film Festival. Slowly building international word of mouth also helped the film financially; over two years after its local release, the film reached its financial break-even point due to sales to overseas territories.