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The Chaser Top Winner at Grand Bell Awards

Hit thriller, The Chaser, the top Korean film at the box office for the first half of 2008, was also tops last Friday at the nation’s annual film awards fest, the 45^th Daejong (Grand Bell) film festival, held in southern Seoul.  Director NA Hong-jin’s debut feature picked up six awards including Best Picture, Director, Cinematography and Actor for KIM Yun-seok). 

Actor KIM, known for numerous supporting roles, won for his first lead performance as the cop-turned-pimp who is hot on the trail of a serial-killer played by the equally gifted HA Jung-woo.  KIM also won the BMW Popularity award at Daejon.  The Chaser went on to captured the Best Production award as well. 

The Best Actress award went to KIM Yoon-jin for her role in another successful thriller, Seven Days, a tale of kidnapping and blackmail. KIM is known to American audiences for her role in the hit TV sevies “Lost”, for which she has also won acting awards.  The fast-paced plot-twister also won awards for Best Editing and Sound Mixing. 

In supporting actors category, YOO Joon-sang took the male award for Return while actress KIM Hae-sook won for her role as an ex-convict in Open City.  Romantic drama Viva ! Love won OH Jeom-gyoon the award for Best New Director and PARK Yoon a prize for Best Screenplay. 

Best New Actor and Actress awards went to Daniel Henney (My Father) and HAN Ye-seul (Little Miss Gold Digger) respectively.  HAN also won the BMW Popularity award.  Other notable winners included the period drama Hwang Jin-yi for best Costume Design and Music, horror-thriller Shadows in the Palace for best Lighting, and LEE Myung-se’s moody mystery M for best Art Design.  SHIM Hyung-rae’s big-budget monster, D-War, won in the category of best Visual Effects. 

Nigel D’Sa (KOFIC)