59th Grand Bell Awards Celebrates ‘Concrete Utopia’ with 6 Awards

59th Grand Bell Awards / Photo = Naver TV

The movie ‘Concrete Utopia’ was honored with 6 awards at the 59th Grand Bell Awards.

On the afternoon of the 15th, the 59th Grand Bell Awards Film Festival was held at the Gyeonggi Arts Center Grand Theater located in Paldal-gu, Suwon. The event was hosted by Cha In-pyo and Jang Do-yeon, and a variety of works were nominated in various categories, resulting in fierce competition for the honor of winning the award.

At this year’s Grand Bell Awards, out of a total of 26 categories, the film ‘Cobweb’ (directed by Kim Ji-woon) received the most nominations with 14, followed by ‘Smuggling’ (directed by Ryu Seung-wan) with 12, and which film will be the star of this awards ceremony. Many people had high hopes for what would happen.

However, the result was a victory for ‘Concrete Utopia’ (directed by Eom Tae-hwa). It achieved the feat of winning a total of 6 awards: Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Sound Effects, Visual Effects, and Art.

Still from the movie ‘The Noble Man’ / Photo = NEW

First, the Best New Actor Award went to Kim Seon-ho, who made his screen debut by playing the role of a nobleman in ‘The Noble Man’ (directed by Park Hoon-jung). He went up on stage and expressed his acceptance speech with an overwhelmed expression, saying, “I love everyone who supported me.” He then expressed his affection for his family, saying, “Finally, I am so grateful to my parents.”

Kim Si-eun of ‘Next Sohee’ won the Best New Actress Award. She was unable to attend today due to her filming schedule for Season 2 of the Netflix series ‘Squid Game’, but she expressed her acceptance speech in a video. He said, “I am grateful to all the staff, officials, actors, and everyone who gave a lot of support to ‘Next Sohee.’ I will become an actress who can show a better side of me in the future.”

The Best Supporting Actor Award went to Oh Jeong-se, who played the role of top star Kang Jose in ‘Spider’s Nest.’ However, Oh Jeong-se did not attend the event that day, and a video of her acceptance speech was not provided. Meanwhile, her Best Supporting Actress award was given to Kim Sun-young for her portrayal of the father-daughter president Geum-ae in ‘Concrete Utopia.’ Kim Sun-young came up on stage with her tear-filled face and expressed her thoughts about receiving the award. He said, “I had the experience of entering another world through ‘Concrete Utopia.’ I really received a lot of energy and learned a lot,” she said, recalling the scene she filmed.

59th Grand Bell Awards / Photo = Naver TV

The Best Actor Award went to Lee Byung-hun, who played Young Tak, the main character of ‘Concrete Utopia’, beating out Song Kang-ho, Ryu Jun-yeol, Im Si-wan, and Do Kyung-soo. Lee Byung-hun gave his acceptance speech in a video format due to his filming schedule. He said, “There has been a lot of damage to theaters due to the pandemic, and it is still ongoing, but I am grateful and happy that many people are interested in the movie and are watching it.”

The Best Actress Award went to Kim Seo-hyung of ‘Vinyl House’, beating out Jung Yu-mi, Yeom Jeong-ah, Bae Doo-na, Sock Bok, and Kim Seon-young. Seohyung Kim gained a lot of enlightenment through her ‘Vinyl House’. He expressed his acceptance speech reflecting that realization, saying, “(‘Vinyl House’) is the story of a woman who lives her life clinging to various problems. Within the precarious border, it seems like the system is within reach, but it is impossible to reach it.” “It was a movie that showed things,” he recalled. He then expressed his gratitude, saying, “As always, I will be there with good work.”

‘Casino’ still / Photo = Walt Disney Company Korea

Actor Choi Min-sik, who appeared in ‘Casino’, won the Best Actor in a Series award. He was unable to attend the event that day and made a video instead. He expressed his gratitude in his acceptance speech, saying, “I am so grateful for this great award. I want to share this honor with the entire staff of ‘Casino’.”

The Best Actress in a Series Award went to Han Hyo-joo, who played the role of Lee Mi-hyeon in Disney+’s ‘Moving’. He went on stage and expressed his acceptance speech with excited eyes. He commented, “I think I am receiving it on behalf of the ‘Moving’ team. There are many people, so the character Lee Mi-hyeon existed,” and added, “It seems like there is nothing she can do alone.”

59th Grand Bell Awards / Photo = Naver TV

The Best Director award went to director Ryu Seung-wan, who directed ‘Smuggling.’ Director Ryu Seung-wan, who could not attend due to schedule, expressed his gratitude through a video. He promised, “I will create better works in the future.”

In addition, the Best Picture award went to ‘Concrete Utopia’ directed by Uhm Tae-hwa. Climax Studio CEO Byun Seung-min, who came on stage to give his acceptance speech, said, “More than anything, I am sincerely grateful to director Uhm Tae-hwa for making a great work.” “I think it will be remembered as an impressive place.”

▲The following is a list of all winners at the 59th Grand Bell Awards.

Best Picture – ‘Concrete Utopia’

Best Director – ‘Smuggling’ Director Seung-wan Ryu

Best Actor – ‘Concrete Utopia’ Lee Byung-hun

Best Actress Award – ‘Vinyl House’ Kim Seo-hyung

Best Supporting Actor – Oh Jeong-se, ‘The Spider’s Nest’

Best Supporting Actress – Kim Sun-young, ‘Concrete Utopia’

Best New Actor Award – ‘The Noble Man’ Kim Seon-ho

Best New Actress Award – ‘Next Sohee’ Kim Si-eun

Best New Director – ‘Owl’ Taejin Ahn

Best Screenplay – ‘Owl’ Hyun Gyu-ri, Ahn Tae-jin

Documentary Award – ‘Soup and Ideology’ directed by Yang Young-hee

Best Cinematography – ‘Smuggling’ Choi Young-hwan

Music Award – ‘Ghost’ Dalparan

Best Editing – ‘Owl’ Kim Seon-min

Best Visual Effects – Eun Jae-hyeon for ‘Concrete Utopia’

Best Sound Effect – ‘Concrete Utopia’ Kim Seok-won

Art Award – ‘Concrete Utopia’ Jo Hwa-seong

Best Costume Design – ‘Killing Romance’ Yoon Jeong-hee

Best Picture in a Series – ‘Moving’

Best Series Director – ‘Casino’ directed by Kang Yun-seong

Best Actor in a Series – ‘Casino’ Choi Min-sik

Best Actress in a Series – ‘Moving’ Han Hyo-joo

Achievement Award – Jang Mi-hee

King Daejong’s Attention Award (Best Picture) – ‘Dream Palace’

Daejong’s Attention Award (Director’s Award) – ‘Mother’s Land: Grisha and the Master of the Forest’

King Daejong’s Attention Award (Best Actor) – ‘Hero’ Jeong Seong-hwa