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13^th Director’s Cut Awards Winners Announced

240 Korean directors have picked the best director, movie and actors for 2009.  Most notably, PARK Chan-wook picked up the best director award for the Cannes winning Thirst.  Previous to this he had won the award for J.S.A (2000), Sympathy for Mr Vengeance (2002) and Old Boy (2004). The long awaited Thirst, as well as being eagerly received in Korea, played at the Fantasia Film Festival in Toronto and also had a limited U.S. release.  For his performance in Thirst, the ever present and hardest-working Korean actor SONG Kang-ho picked up his fifth actor of the year award.  Previously he had won the award for, Memories of Murder (2003), The Host (2006), Secret Sunshine and J.S.A (2000) also directed by PARK Chan-wook.  The best actress award went to KIM Hye-ja, the television drama acting stalwart for her passionately eccentric portrayal of a ‘Mother’ fighting for the rights of  her son in BONG Joon-ho’s film of  the same name. 

Other awards went to YANG Ik-june the director and actor of Breathless which racked up awards at festivals all over the globe raising the international profile of independent Korean films this year.  YANG won the Independent Movie Director Award.  Best Actor went to KIM Dong-wuk for his role in Takeoff, the movie that despite being in the shadow of this year’s monster hit Haeundae, still managed to make it into the all time top ten Korean box office successes.  The Best Actress award went to PARK Bo-yeong for her role in  Scandal  Makers (2008) which itself became the most successful Korean comedy ever. 

The awards ceremony took place December 21.

David Oxenbridge(KOFIC)