 |
| Directors Park Young-hye, right, and Shin Seong-hoon of the film, "JajangMyeon Thank You" / Courtesy of Light Pictures |
By Kwak Yeon-soo
Actor Lee Tae-sung's mother, Park Young-hye, who made her directorial debut this year with the short film, "JajangMyeon Thank You," is sweeping awards at film festivals overseas.
Park, 62, first became known to the public through the SBS reality show, "Mom's Diary, My Ugly Duckling." She was among a group of mothers who watch and comment on footage of their unmarried, middle-aged sons performing daily routines. Earlier in July, she stepped down from the show to pursue a career in filmmaking.
"JajangMyeon Thank You," co-directed by Park and Shin Seong-hoon, has won 37 awards so far, according to film production company Light Pictures on Monday. Most recently, the film won the Best Short Award at the 13th LA Web Series Festival.
It also won three awards at the third Best Istanbul Film Festival in Turkey and two awards at the fifth Cult Critic Movie Awards in India.
"I'm sorry that I can't attend all the sudden film festival invitations these days, but thank you for recognizing the sincerity of the movie. I'd like to thank you once again," Park wrote on Instagram.
 |
| Model and actress Hyun Young recently won the Best Supporting Actor award at the Indo Global Film Festival in India for her role in "JajangMyeon Thank You" / Screenshot from Instagram |
"The film, which I starred in and deals with issues of disability, is receiving awards at many film festivals around the world. I participated in the project with good will, and thankfully I won the Best Supporting Actor award at an Indian film festival. Thank you so much and I will work harder in the future," she said.
Hyun has reportedly been cast as the lead actress in Park's second film, which will also be co-directed by Shin.
"JajangMyeon Thank You" follows the story of Mi-sook, who is born with paraplegia. One day, her computer breaks down and she contacts the welfare center for repair. The repairman, named Min-kyu, visits her, and Mi-sook asks him to eat jajangmyeon, noodles made with black soybean paste, with her. They get closer as they share meals together and eventually fall in love.
"We are so proud that our film has received high praise and positive reviews from all around the globe. Thank you for your support and calling it the next 'Minari,'" Light Pictures said in a statement.
"JajangMyeon Thank You" will hit local theaters sometime next year.
![[INTERVIEW] 'One Day Off' star Lee Na-young, director on creating subtle, feel-good series](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/796618f56a44402eabe81fe4530ab988.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
![[INTERVIEW] Lee Jun-hyuk unrecognizable in 'The Roundup: No Way Out'](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/77a9da6df7da4284adbee249a87307c1.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
