'Past Lives' gets three nominations at Baftas

A scene from director Celine Song's ″Past Lives″ [AP/YONHAP]

Korean Canadian director Celine Song's film "Past Lives" (2023) has been nominated in three categories at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts Film Awards (Baftas).

"Past Lives" has been nominated for Best Film not in the English Language, Best Original Screenplay and Best Leading Actor.

The film's lead actor, Teo Yoo, received a nomination for Best Leading Actor, according to the Awards' website Thursday. If Yoo grabs the award, he will be the first Korean actor to receive the award in such a category.

"Past Lives" is director Song's debut work, which revolves around two childhood friends reuniting after 20 years as adults in New York. The film features actors Greta Lee and Teo Yoo.

The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January last year and was invited to compete at the Berlin International Film Festival the next month. It won Best Picture at The Gotham Awards, an independent film and drama award ceremony held in New York in November.

The film was nominated for awards at the Golden Globe Awards and the Critics' Choice Movie Awards, but didn't take home any awards.

Song's film is scheduled to premiere in Korea in the first half of 2024.

Several Korean films, such as director Park Chan-wook's "The Handmaiden" (2016) and director Bong Joon-ho's "Parasite" (2019), took home awards from the ceremony in the past. Actor Youn Yuh-jung won Best Supporting Actress in 2021 with her role in Lee Isaac Chung's "Minari" (2020).

This year's award will take place at the Southbank Centre in London on Feb. 18.

BY KIM JI-YE [kim.jiye@joongang.co.kr]