A night of cinematic celebration in Busan
The 34th Buil Film Awards, Korea’s oldest film ceremony, returned in full force on October 18 at Signiel Busan’s Grand Ballroom. Hosted by actors Kim Nam-gil and Chun Woo-hee, the event brought together some of the country’s biggest movie stars and creative minds.
Jung Woo-sung steps back into the spotlight
Arguably the most buzzed-about moment of the night was Jung Woo-sung’s return to the public eye. It marked his first appearance in nearly a year following reports of a child born outside of marriage with model Moon Ga-bi. At the time, Jung addressed the rumors directly: “I’m not married, but I’ll take full responsibility as a father.”
Since then, he’s kept a low profile, only appearing on set for Disney+’s upcoming series Made in Korea. However, Jung rejoined the Buil stage as a guest presenter this year, having won Best Actor at last year’s ceremony for 12.12: The Day.
Lee Byung-hun wins Best Actor—again
Lee Byung-hun was awarded his fourth Best Actor trophy for his role in Spring in Seoul (Seungbu: Two Go Masters). He received the honor from none other than Jung Woo-sung—aka his real-life bestie and often co-star.
The Best Actress award went to Kim Go-eun for her performance in Love in the Big City, adding another layer of prestige to the already star-studded night.
Top prize goes to “The Eldest Grandson”
The evening’s top honor, Best Film, went to The Eldest Grandson. Director and producer Oh Jung-min accepted the award, delivering a heartfelt acceptance speech: “Out of all the awards I’ve received, this is the most honorable. The Buil Film Awards truly represent the prestige of Korean cinema.”
Oh also gave a touching shoutout to his mother, who is battling illness at the hospital and watching from afar: “Please keep fighting. I hope this brings you strength.”
Girl’s Day’s Hyeri grabs double honors
Hyeri from Girl’s Day won both the Best New Actress award and the Female Star of the Year award for Victory, proving that idols-turned-actresses are here to stay. Meanwhile, Lee Joon-hyuk won Male Star of the Year for his role in The Firefighter, based on true events from 2001.
Other notable winners
- Best Supporting Actor: Park Jung-min, War and Chaos
- Best Supporting Actress: Yang Hee-kyung, Morning Sea: Gulls
- Best Director: Hwang Byung-guk, Opposition Party
- New Actor: Choi Hyun-jin, After Summer
- New Director: Jang Byung-ki, After Summer
- Script: Park E-un, Morning Sea: Gulls
- Cinematography: Hong Kyung-pyo, Harbin
- Music: Kim Jun-seok, Hi Five
- Art & Tech: Park Jung-woo, Harbin
- Yu Hyun-mok Award: Jang Dong-gun, A Complete Family
Looking ahead
Director Oh Jung-min may have said it best: “There’s talk that Korean cinema is in crisis. But we’ll prove otherwise.” With the continued rise of Hallyu and festivals like this championing local talent, the future of Korean film still looks incredibly bright.
