"Ode to My Father" has earned 10 trophies at Daejong Film Awards, taking biggest prizes for the best film, directing and actor, though the country's most prestigious award show lost luster over the absence of key nominees.
During the 52nd edition of the Daejong (Grand Bell) Film Awards taken place in Seoul on Friday, the film on the country's modern history grabbed 10 awards out of 24 categories, including the best picture, the best directing (Yoon Je-kyoon), the best actor in a leading role (Hwang Jung-min) and the best actor in a supporting role (Oh Dal-soo), its organizer said Saturday.
It depicted the story of an ordinary father who sacrificed himself to support his family through the country's turbulent modern history from the 1950-53 Korean War till recently.
Jun Ji-hyun of "Assassination" was chosen as the best actress in a leading role, and Kim Hae-sook of the period drama, "The Throne," won the best actress in a supporting role.
Hallyu star Lee Min-ho received the prize for the best rookie for his role in the action film "Gangnam 1970," and Kim Soo-hyun grabbed the honor of the most popular actor.
"I had kept thinking of how to have everyone understand each other when making the film," director Yoon said upon receiving the prize. "I sincerely hope people in the film industry to be in harmony, putting themselves in someone else's shoes."
His remarks reflected long-drawn controversies surrounding the country's oldest film awarding event, with actors harboring discontent with the organizing committee over its way of managing the show.
This year, in particular, all of the candidates in the best actor and actress categories failed to show up. Of the 24 categories, 11 honors were given on their behalf.
Though the committee vowed a policy of "no show, no award," no such withdrawal took place.
As South Korea's equivalent of the Academy Awards, the Daejong was launched in 1962 to boost the quality of Korean films and to support the industry. (Yonhap)