Hong Sangsoo Wins Berlin Film Festival Best Director Award "Focused on Delicate and Detailed Aspects"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jong-gil] "I am a person who lives small in a small world."

This is what director Hong Sangsoo said on the 29th (local time) at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival after winning the Silver Bear for Best Director with "The Woman Who Ran." At the press conference following the award, when evaluated as "starting from small things and dealing with issues of modern society," he stated, "I do not live in a world where I draw a big picture or have a big intention." He added, "I try to shake off the temptation to create with a big intention as much as possible," emphasizing, "I try to focus on delicate and detailed things rather than strong ones."

The Silver Bear for Best Director is like a reward for such efforts. Director Hong is the second Korean film director to win this trophy after Kim Ki-duk of "Samaritan," and the first in 16 years. This achievement came from his fourth entry in the competition section of the Berlin Film Festival. His previous competition entries were "Night and Day (2008)," "Nobody's Daughter Haewon (2013)," and "On the Beach at Night Alone (2017)." Kim Min-hee, who starred in "On the Beach at Night Alone," won the Silver Bear for Best Actress.

When Hong's name was called that day, he shared a warm embrace with his partner Kim Min-hee. Upon going on stage and greeting the jury, he said, "I want to thank everyone. I thank the people who worked for me and the festival officials." He then said, "If you allow, I hope the actresses stand up and receive applause," drawing applause for lead actresses Kim Min-hee and Seo Young-hwa.

"The Woman Who Ran" is Hong's twenty-fourth feature film. It depicts a wife meeting past friends through two scheduled meetings and one chance encounter after her husband, with whom she had never been apart since marriage, goes on a business trip. The cast includes Kim Min-hee, Song Sun-mi, Seo Young-hwa, Kim Sae-byuk, and Kwon Hae-hyo. The film received a relatively high rating of 2.7 in the festival newsletter "Screen Daily," and recorded a 100% freshness score on Rotten Tomatoes, which reflects evaluations from overseas media.

Meanwhile, the top prize, the Golden Bear, went to "There Is No Evil" by Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof. The Silver Bear Jury Grand Prix was awarded to "Never Rarely Sometimes Always" by American director Eliza Hittman, the Silver Bear for Best Actor to Elio Germano for "Hidden Away," and the Silver Bear for Best Actress to Paula Beer for "Undine."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.