'Novelist's Film' Wins Jury Grand Prix at Berlin International Film Festival
4th Silver Bear for Hong Sangsoo and Kim Minhee Together
Couple Rings Worn as Trophy Held High
[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Isul] Director Hong Sangsoo and actress Kim Minhee won their fourth Silver Bear together. They shared their joy by raising the trophy with their hands wearing matching couple rings.
On the 16th (local time), Director Hong received the Jury Grand Prix (Silver Bear) at the 72nd Berlin International Film Festival held in Berlin, Germany, for the film Introduction.
Director Hong Sangsoo advanced to the competition section for the sixth time with films including Night and Day (2008), Nobody's Daughter Haewon (2013), On the Beach at Night Alone (2017), The Woman Who Ran (2020), and Introduction (2021), and embraced his fourth Silver Bear.
All four Silver Bears were shared with his partner Kim Minhee. In 2017, Kim Minhee became the first Korean actress to win the Best Actress Silver Bear for On the Beach at Night Alone. In 2020, she received the Best Director Silver Bear for The Woman Who Ran, and in 2021, the Best Screenplay Silver Bear for Introduction.
Kim Minhee participated as an actress in all the awarded films except Introduction, and since 2021, she has also been credited as a production manager. The two have worked together on all projects since becoming a couple.
Except for last year when they could not travel to Berlin due to COVID-19, they have attended the Berlin Film Festival together every year to share their joy. This year, reunited after two years, the couple appeared quite familiar with the Berlin Film Festival.
At the awards ceremony, when Director Hong Sangsoo was announced as the recipient of the Jury Grand Prix, he said, "I really did not expect this. I am surprised," and called Kim Minhee to the stage. Standing in front of the microphone, Kim Minhee said, "Today, I felt that the audience loves the film. It is touching and unforgettable. Thank you." The two smiled brightly as they raised the Silver Bear trophy together.
Kim Minhee smiled gently while watching Director Hong Sangsoo deliver his acceptance speech, and Hong could not take his eyes off Kim when she stood at the microphone. The couple shared their joy to applause on the Berlin stage after two years.
Earlier that day, the two appeared holding hands at the photo call and press conference for Introduction, showing that their close relationship remains strong. They looked the same as two years ago when they attended the ceremony together.
Director Hong Sangsoo and Kim Minhee became a couple through Right Now, Wrong Then (2015), and after revealing their relationship at the press screening of On the Beach at Night Alone in 2017, they have maintained their relationship since. However, their relationship has not been legally recognized. Director Hong filed for divorce in 2019 but lost the case.
Since then, Director Hong has continued his work overseas with Kim Minhee. In Korea, seemingly conscious of the negative public opinion labeling them as an "adulterous couple," they have kept a low profile and only conducted formal releases.
Director Hong Sangsoo’s 27th new work, Introduction, tells the story of a novelist who visits the bookstore of a missing junior and meets a film director couple. Later, while walking in a park, he meets an actress and persuades her that he wants to make her film. Actors Lee Hyeyoung, Seo Younghwa, and Kwon Haehyo appear in the film.
The Berlin International Film Festival jury commented on Introduction, saying, "The achieved mystery and simplicity convey the courage to break prejudices."
The top prize, the Golden Bear, was awarded to Alcarr?s, directed by Carla Sim?n from Spain, which depicts the life of a peach-farming family living in a small village in Catalonia.
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