Oh Jung-se and Yeom Hye-ran Win Best Actor Awards at Jeonju International Film Festival

Oh Jung-se and Yeom Hye-ran received acting awards at the Jeonju International Film Festival.

At the awards ceremony of the 21st Jeonju International Film Festival held on the 1st at CGV Jeonju Gosa, the two actors won acting awards for ‘Dispatch; I Do Not Fire Myself’ and ‘Light and Iron,’ respectively. Oh Jung-se played a worker who teaches Jung-eun (Yoo Da-in), who was dispatched to a subcontractor under blatant pressure to resign, in director Lee Tae-gyeom’s ‘Dispatch; I Do Not Fire Myself.’ He delicately portrayed the human bond formed as he helps Jung-eun find her identity as a woman and subcontracted laborer.

Yeom Hye-ran portrayed Young-nam, the wife of a traffic accident victim, in director Bae Jong-dae’s ‘Light and Iron.’ Her character hates Hee-joo (Kim Si-eun), the wife of the traffic accident perpetrator, after learning that they work at the same factory. She convincingly acted the realization that the source of pain and misfortune does not lie with the other party as she approaches the truth of the accident.

The International Competition Grand Prize went to director Gao Ming (China) for ‘Wet Season.’ The drama deals with the tangled and uncommunicative relationships of four young men and women living in Shenzhen, a southern Chinese city, like the humidity filling the air. The jury commented, “The attempt to capture the consciousness of the problems faced by the young generation in China stands out,” and “It explores the suffering caused by globalization and neoliberalism, and the wandering of young people raised amid the breakdown of traditional families from a new perspective and innovative approach.” Director Gao Ming said in a video message, “At a time when a dark shadow is cast over the world, the bright light of cinema gives warmth and strength to our lives,” and “I hope we can soon enjoy films on the screen.” This year’s festival is being held as an online screening event to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The International Competition Best Film award went to ‘One in a Thousand’ directed by Clarisa Navas (Argentina), and the Jury Special Prize was awarded to ‘What We Discovered That Year’ directed by Luis Lopez Carrasco (Spain). Lubna Azabal and Nisrin Erradi, who starred in ‘Adam’ directed by Mariam Touzani (Morocco), received special mentions from the jury.

The Korean Competition Grand Prize was jointly awarded to director Kim Mi-jo’s ‘Seagull’ and director Shin Dong-min’s ‘Wind, Please Clear the Fog.’ ‘Seagull’ depicts middle-aged woman Oh-bok (Jung Ae-hwa), who sells goods at a market and fights alone to regain her dignity after being sexually assaulted by a colleague. ‘Wind, Please Clear the Fog’ is a work that reflects on the meaning of family by observing the daily life of a divorced mother through her son’s perspective. It is said to be an autobiographical story by director Shin Dong-min.