'Son' Hong Sang-soo and Kim Min-hee: Family tragedy strikes.. Three awards at Locarno Film Festival [Official]

*This content was translated by AI.

Director Hong Sang-soo's film 'Nowhere to Go' has won three awards at the Locarno Film Festival.

At the closing ceremony of the 79th Locarno Film Festival held on the 15th (local time), director Hong Sang-soo for 'Nowhere to Go' received the Best Director Award and the Ecumenical Jury Prize, while actress Kim Min-hee won the Best Actress Yeon Gi-sang-eul (수상).

'Nowhere to Go' is the fifth work by director Hong Sang-soo to be officially invited to the Locarno Film Festival, following 'Our Sunhee' (2013, Best Director Award), 'Right Now, Wrong Then' (2015, Golden Leopard Grand Prix and Best Acting Award for Jung Jae-young), 'Hotel by the River' (2018, Best Acting Award for Ki Joo-bong), and 'Suyucheon' (2024, Best Acting Award for Kim Min-hee).

The film depicts the story of Sang-hee (played by Kim Min-hee), who visits her mother who has settled in Jeju Island after 10 years, spending two days with her family. It is a work where Sang-hee, whose stepfather is a documentary director, meets him and his daughter, confronting the complex relationships within the family amidst facts she had never known before, unnecessary advice, and light compliments exchanged.

The Ecumenical Jury Prize, awarded alongside the Best Director Award and Best Actress Award, is an independent prize evaluated and presented separately by the Swiss Protestant and Catholic Church jury panels. It is given to works that deeply convey messages about human life and dignity, social values, peace and human rights, and spiritual dimensions.

Additionally, following her win for Best Actress at the 77th Locarno Film Festival for director Hong Sang-soo's 'Suyucheon' in 2024, Kim Min-hee has now won the Best Actress Yeon Gi-sang (수상) award for the second time at the Locarno Film Festival with 'Nowhere to Go'. This is the first acting work Kim Min-hee has undertaken since giving birth to her son.

Kim Min-hee showed an emotional moment, saying, "I am so grateful to the director who made such a beautiful film like poetry. I thank my wonderful colleagues and want to share this award with them. My other colleague Sumi, thank you very much. I am currently with my baby."

She continued, "I am happy and grateful to be able to share this joyful news with friends in Jeju. From now on, I will act only with true love," adding, "When my heart feels heavy or suffocating, I will watch this film. Thank you, director."

Meanwhile, Hong Sang-soo and Kim Min-hee met in the 2015 film 'Right Now, Wrong Then' and subsequently developed a romantic relationship. In 2017, during a press screening for his film 'Alone on the Beach at Night', Hong Sang-soo revealed they were "in love with each other," while maintaining the relationship with Kim Min-hee before legally finalizing his divorce from his former wife. It was reported that the couple welcomed a son in April last year at an obstetrics and gynecology clinic in Gyeonggi Province.

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*This content was translated by AI.