Daejong Int'l Film Awards slated for Nov. 15

Movies

Published: 12 Sep. 2023, 17:05

Daejong Int'l Film Awards slated for Nov. 15

Organizers and ambassadors for this year's Daejong International Film Awards pose for a photo during a press conference for the awards at a hall in Konkuk University in Gwangjin District, eastern Seoul, on Tuesday. [DAEJONG INTERNATIONAL FILM AWARDS]

This year’s Daejong International Film Awards, one of the three biggest film award ceremonies in Korea, will be held on Nov. 15. The organizers of the event held a press conference on Tuesday, promising this year's event will overcome the controversies of last year’s ceremony.

The ceremony has recently been under fire for not living up to its name. Half of the nominees did not attend last year's event, and the organizers failed to have trophies ready to be handed out on the day despite running it for the 58th time.

“Last year, we didn’t have a contract in place with a major broadcaster and had to make all the preparations within the organizing committee, which led to some glitches,” said Kim Yong-ki, head organizer for the Daejong International Film Awards, during a press conference held at Konkuk University in Gwangjin District, eastern Seoul, on Tuesday. “But this year we are looking to sign a contract with a broadcaster and be more thoroughly prepared for the celebration. I promise that such issues will no longer be a problem for the event."

This year’s event will be held jointly with the Gyeonggi Arts Center, the first time that a major film award is being held together with a regional arts organization. Awards will be given in a total of 20 categories including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Actor, and films released between Oct. 1, 2022 to Sept. 30 this year will be eligible for nomination.

So why have the actors been so hesitant to attend the awards ceremony?

Yang Yun-ho, chairperson of the organizing committee of the Daejong International Film Awards, says it's because "there's this awkward ambience in the air within the industry where you feel embarrassed not going home with a trophy after getting nominated."

Yang says such a culture should be eradicated within the film industry.

“If you look at other awards ceremonies held overseas such as the Oscars, you see that people congratulate each other and celebrate the film itself even if it doesn't win. We need to adopt that kind of atmosphere and mindset for the betterment of our awards ceremonies," he said.

Actor and rapper Yang Dong-geun, one of the ambassadors for this year’s Daejong International Film Awards, said during the press conference that the awards are very much like Korea itself.

“The Daejong International Film Awards have been around ever since the beginning of the film industry in Korea and it is an honor to be serving as an ambassador for this year’s awards,” he said. “I hope that the event will be reborn this year to become a place where we can all celebrate films together.”

BY LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr[