Hong Sangsoo and Kim Minhee's Film 'Suyucheon' Wins Two Awards for Best Film and Best Actress in Spain

'Suyucheon' Wins Best Film and Best Actress Awards at Hihon Film Festival

Actor Kim Min-hee (right) is posing after receiving the Best Actress Award for director Hong Sang-soo's film "Introduction" at the 77th Locarno Film Festival last August. Photo by EPA Yonhap News

Director Hong Sangsoo's 32nd feature film, Su-yu-cheon, won the Best Film Award at the Gij?n International Film Festival in Spain.

According to the production company Jeonwonsa on the 25th, Su-yu-cheon took home two awards at the Gij?n Film Festival: Best Film and Best Actress for Kim Min-hee. The Gij?n Film Festival is held in the Spanish port city of Gij?n and mainly showcases original and independent auteur films.

The festival has a close connection with Director Hong. His film Hotel by the River (2018) previously won Best Film and Best Screenplay awards, and Kim Min-hee won Best Actress for On the Beach at Night Alone (2017).

Movie 'Suyucheon'. Provided by Jeonwonsa

Earlier, Kim Min-hee also received the Best Actress Award at the 77th Locarno International Film Festival in August for Su-yu-cheon. At that time, she said, "Director Hong, who made such a beautiful film, I love your films so much. Thank you for letting me work with you." After receiving the award, Kim was captured on camera resting her head on Director Hong’s shoulder, sharing her joy.

In an interview with the Locarno International Film Festival following the award, she said, "I was so happy and enjoyed filming so much that I wished the shoot would never end. I kept thinking, 'Is there anything this fun and exciting at my age?'"

Su-yu-cheon tells the story of Jeon-im (played by Kim Min-hee), a young lecturer at a women's university, who asks her uncle, an actor and director (played by Kwon Hae-hyo), to direct the university’s campus play.

Director Hong and Kim Min-hee began their relationship after working together on the film Right Now, Wrong Then (2015). Although they have acknowledged their extramarital affair and do not appear together at official domestic events, they frequently attend international film festivals and official events together. In 2016, Director Hong filed for divorce from his wife, but the process was unsuccessful. In June 2019, his divorce lawsuit was dismissed, and he gave up on appealing.