'Concrete Utopia' Wins 6 Awards at Daejong Film Awards Ceremony

Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, etc.
Best Actress is Kim Seo-hyung for 'Binilhouseu'
OTT Series Best Picture is Disney+ 'Moving'

Director Eom Tae-hwa's Concrete Utopia won six awards at this year's Grand Bell Awards ceremony. At the event held on the 15th at the Gyeonggi Arts Center in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, the film received Best Picture, Best Actor (Lee Byung-hun), Best Supporting Actress (Kim Sun-young), Best Visual Effects (Eun Jae-hyun), Best Sound Effects (Kim Seok-won), and Best Art Direction (Jo Hwa-sung).

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The disaster film highlights residents living in the only apartment complex that did not collapse in Seoul, which was devastated by a massive earthquake. Released in August, it attracted 3,849,217 theatergoers. Byun Seung-min, CEO of the production company Climax Studio, said in his acceptance speech, "The film is set in winter, but we wore thick clothes while filming in the middle of summer," crediting the actors and staff. Lee Byung-hun, who was absent due to the filming schedule, expressed his gratitude via video, saying, "During the pandemic, when theaters were hit hard, I am more thankful and happy than ever that so many people showed interest and watched the film."

Best Actress went to Kim Seo-hyung for her role as a woman burdened with hardship in Vinyl House. Despite her excellent performance, the film only attracted 10,923 viewers. Kim Seo-hyung briefly introduced the film, saying, "It might be unfamiliar to many of you." She added, "I am grateful to the Grand Bell Awards for giving me the opportunity to introduce the work. I hope to meet you again with good projects in the future." The Lifetime Achievement Award, given to a veteran actor who has led the film industry, was awarded to Jang Mi-hee. She promised, "I have been an actor for 48 years, and though it may be small, I will do everything I can for Korean cinema."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Best Director went to Ryu Seung-wan for Smuggling, and Best Supporting Actor was awarded to Oh Jung-se for his outstanding performance in Kim Ji-woon’s Spiderweb. The Best New Actress and Best New Actor awards went to Kim Si-eun for Next Sohee and Kim Seon-ho for Gentleman, respectively. Kim Seon-ho said, "It was my first film, and so much effort and passion went into it. I was happy and honored to be part of that time." The Best Series Award for online streaming services (OTT) went to Disney+’s Moving. Best Series Director was awarded to Kang Yoon-sung for Disney+’s Casino, Best Actor to Choi Min-sik for Casino, and Best Actress to Han Hyo-joo for Moving.

The Grand Bell Awards ceremony is the longest-running event among Korea’s three major film awards. It is hosted by the Korean Film Producers Association and supported by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korean Film Council. Although it has faced setbacks in recent years due to internal conflicts, fairness controversies, and awardee absences, it is undergoing changes such as major revisions to the judging process. Lee Jang-ho, the Grand Bell Film Festival Integration Chairman, self-assessed, "The Grand Bell Film Festival has struggled like fighting cancer, but today we have regained the glorious splendor of the past."