Hallyu stars Bae Suzy and Lee Jin-wook grace the red carpet at BIFF’s closing ceremony
| Bae Suzy (left) and Lee Jin-wook pose for a photo during a red carpet event held for closing ceremony of BIFF on Friday. (Yonhap) |
"Gloaming in Luomu," directed by Zhang Lu, took home the grand prize at the inaugural Busan Awards, a new competition section at the Busan International Film Festival.
The Busan Awards invited 14 films from across regions to compete in its first edition. Winners were announced Friday evening at the festival’s closing ceremony, with a jury chaired by acclaimed Korean filmmaker Na Hong-jin ("The Yellow Sea," "The Wailing") alongside Korean American director Kogonada, actress Han Hyo-joo, Hong Kong star Tony Leung Ka-fai and four other jurors.
The jury handed out five prizes: best film, best director, special jury prize, best actor and artistic contribution. Cash prizes ranged from 50 million won for the grand prize to 20 million won for best director, with 10 million won awarded in other categories.
According to the jury chair Na, the decision on the grand prize for "Gloaming in Luomu" was unanimous.
“This was the first time I’ve been part of a jury where voices were raised and such intense debates took place,” Na remarked as he took the stage to give out the grand prize, adding, “I am grateful to all the directors and teams of the competing films, and it was an honor to serve on this jury.”
"Gloaming in Luomu" follows dancer Xiaobai, who, after receiving a postcard from her boyfriend who left without saying goodbye three years earlier, travels to the town of Luomu to uncover the reason.
Upon accepting the trophy, director Zhang said, “I won the New Currents Award at the 10th Busan International Film Festival, and now, 20 years later, I find myself standing here again,” adding, “There is one thing I can say for sure -- I will be standing on this stage again when Busan celebrates its 100th edition.”
Shu Qi ("Three Times," "The Assassin"), the Taiwanese actress turned director, won the best director award for her debut feature, "Girl." The film portrays a young girl growing up under a violent, alcoholic father and a strict mother, drawing from Qi’s own life.
In a message to the audience, Qi said, “To all the girls who carry wounds in their hearts, I hope you step bravely outside your homes and move toward your bright futures.”
The best actor awards went to Lee Ji-won, the lead in Yoo Jae-in’s "En Route To," and to the three lead actors of "Baka's Identity" -- Takumi Kitamura, Yuta Hayashi, and Go Ayano.
The special jury prize was awarded to Han Chang-lok for his directorial debut, "Funky Freaky Freaks," while the artistic contribution award went to Ryu Chang and Tu Nan, the art directors of Bi Gan’s "Resurrection," recognizing outstanding achievement beyond directing and acting.
The closing ceremony, exclusively hosted by actress Claudia Kim ("A Normal Family," "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald"), featured a star-studded roster of attendees. Directors from the competition lineup -- including Zhang Lu, Shu Qi and Han Chang-lok -- joined Hallyu star Bae Suzy, the lead of "Seven O’Clock Breakfast Club for the Heartbroken," on the red carpet. Although she missed both the opening ceremony and GV sessions for her Busan Award–nominated film, Bae made a special appearance at the closing alongside co-star Lee Jin-wook ("Sweet Home," "Squid Game").
Running from Sept. 17-26, the 30th BIFF screened 328 titles across 31 screens in seven venues, hosting 7,036 industry professionals from Korea and around the world.
| Zhang Lu speaks after having received the grand prize for Busan Awards on Friday. (Yonhap) |
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