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    35th Buil Film Awards Set for October 7

    The 35th Buil Film Awards will be held on Wednesday, October 7, at 4:30 PM at the Signiel Busan Grand Ballroom in Haeundae, Busan. The ceremony will be streamed live, along with the red carpet, backstage interviews and an open talk with this year’s Star Award winner. All of it will stream exclusively on Naver chzzk, so fans outside Busan can watch.

    A Prestigious Awards Show With a Long History

    Founded in 1958, the Buil Film Awards is Korea’s first film award. It helped drive the golden age of Korean cinema in the 1960s. After a long break, it returned in 2008 and is now in its 19th consecutive year since the revival.

    Fierce Competition Expected

    This year’s competition looks especially tough. The most-nominated film is Park Chan Wook’s “No Other Choice,” with nominations in nine categories. They include Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Cinematography, Best Music, and Best Art & Technical Achievement.

    Na Hong Jin’s “HOPE,” arguably the biggest film of 2026, follows with eight nominations, including Best Film and Best Director. Yoon Ga Eun’s “The World of Love” and Jang Hang Jun’s “The King’s Warden” each earned six nominations.

    “The King’s Warden” has surpassed 16 million admissions, making it the highest-grossing film of the year so far and the second-highest-grossing Korean film of all time. Park Ji Hoon and Yoo Hae Jin, who brought audiences to tears as King Danjong and Eom Heung Do, are both nominated for Best Actor. Park Ji Hoon is also nominated for Best New Actor and for this year’s Star Award, so he is going for a triple crown.

    Yeom Hye Ran, one of Korea’s most reliable actresses, is nominated for both Best Actress for “My Name” and Best Supporting Actress for “No Other Choice.”

    Last year, at the 34th Buil Film Awards, Lee Byung Hun won Best Actor for “The Match,” and Hong Kyung Pyo won Best Cinematography for “Harbin.” This year, they are each nominated again, for “No Other Choice” and “HOPE” respectively, as they try to win two years in a row.

    Finalists in the major categories have been announced, and voting for this year’s Star Award has begun.

    The Nominees

    Best Film

    • “The Final Semester”
    • “People and Meat”
    • “The World of Love”
    • “No Other Choice”
    • “HOPE”

    Best Director

    • Na Hong Jin (“HOPE”)
    • Park Chan Wook (“No Other Choice”)
    • Byun Sung Hyun (“Good News”)
    • Yoon Ga Eun (“The World of Love”)
    • Jang Hang Jun (“The King’s Warden”)

    Best Actor

    • Koo Kyo Hwan (“Once We Were Us”)
    • Park Ji Hoon (“The King’s Warden”)
    • Yoo Hae Jin (“The King’s Warden”)
    • Lee Byung Hun (“No Other Choice”)
    • Zo In Sung (“HOPE”)

    Best Actress

    • Ko A Seong (“Pavane”)
    • Mun Ka Young (“Once We Were Us”)
    • Son Ye Jin (“No Other Choice”)
    • Seo Su Bin (“The World of Love”)
    • Yeom Hye Ran (“My Name”)

    Best Supporting Actor

    • Oh Jung Se (“Wild Sing”)
    • Yoo Ji Tae (“The King’s Warden”)
    • Yoon Kyung Ho (“My Daughter Is a Zombie”)
    • Eum Moon Suk (“HOPE”)
    • Lee Sung Min (“No Other Choice”)

    Best Supporting Actress

    • Shin Hyun Been (“The Ugly”)
    • Yeom Hye Ran (“No Other Choice”)
    • Lee Jung Eun (“My Daughter Is a Zombie”)
    • Jang Hye Jin (“The World of Love”)
    • Jeon Mi Do (“The King’s Warden”)

    Best New Director

    • Kim Yoo Min (“Isle Of Snakes”)
    • Yoo Jae Wook (“The Gorals”)
    • Lee Sang Min (“Salmokji: Whispering Water”)
    • Choi Seung Woo (“Last Summer”)
    • Han Chang Rok (“Funky Freaky Freaks”)

    Best New Actor

    • Moon Sang Min (“Pavane”)
    • Park Ji Hoon (“The King’s Warden”)
    • Yoo Yi Ha (“The Final Semester”)
    • Jo Yoo Hyun (“3670”)
    • Joo Min Hyeong (“Funky Freaky Freaks”)

    Best New Actress

    • Seo Su Bin (“The World of Love”)
    • Shin Sia (“Even If This Love Disappears from the World Tonight”)
    • Lee Seung Yeon (“The Gorals”)
    • Jang Da A (“Salmokji: Whispering Water”)
    • Jung Ho Yeon (“HOPE”)

    Best Screenplay

    • Byun Sung Hyun, Lee Jin Sung (“Good News”)
    • Yeon Sang Ho (“The Ugly”)
    • Yoon Ga Eun (“The World of Love”)
    • Lee Ran Hee (“The Final Semester”)
    • Lim Na Moo (“People and Meat”)

    Best Cinematography

    • Kim Woo Hyung (“No Other Choice”)
    • Byun Bong Sun (“Colony”)
    • Yang Hyun Seok (“HUMINT”)
    • Cho Hyoung Rae (“Good News”)
    • Hong Kyung Pyo (“HOPE”)

    Best Music

    • Jo Young Wook (“No Other Choice”)
    • Lee Jin Hee (“Wild Sing”)
    • Dalpalan (“The King’s Warden”)
    • Lee Min Hwi (“Pavane”)
    • Michael Abels (“HOPE”)

    Best Art & Technical Achievement

    • Han Ah Reum (“Good News” / Art)
    • Ryu Seong Hee (“No Other Choice” / Art)
    • Park Il Hyun (“The People Upstairs” / Art)
    • Yoo Sang Seop (“HOPE” / Martial Arts)
    • Lee Hoo Kyung (“HOPE” / Art)
    teamAME

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