Hong Sang-soo's 35th feature film, 'In Front of Your Face,' won three awards at the 79th Locarno Film Festival.
The film received the Best Director award, Best Acting award, and the Ecumenical Jury Award during the festival's closing ceremony held on August 15 in Locarno, Switzerland. Hong Sang-soo was honored with the Best Director award, while lead actress Kim Min-hee received the Best Acting award.
'In Front of Your Face' tells the story of Sang-hee, a daughter from a divorced family, who travels to Jeju Island in search of her mother, whom she last met ten years ago. The film features performances by Kim Min-hee, Choi Myung-gil, Kwon Hae-hyo, Shin Seok-ho, and Park Mi-so.
In this project, Hong took on multiple roles, including producer, screenwriter, director, cinematographer, sound engineer, editor, and composer. Kim Min-hee not only starred in the film but also served as the production manager.
This marks the fifth time a film by Hong has been invited to the Locarno Film Festival. His previous works include 'Our Sunhi,' which won the Best Director award in 2013, and 'Right Now, Wrong Then,' which received the Golden Leopard and Best Acting awards in 2015. 'Hotel by the River' won the Best Acting award in 2018, and 'In Front of Your Face' won the Best Acting award in 2024.
Kim Min-hee, who won the Best Acting award at the 77th Locarno Film Festival in 2024 for Hong's 'In Front of Your Face,' has now received the same award at the festival for the second time. This year's Best Acting award was shared between Kim Min-hee and Italian actress Monica Bellucci.
Since 2023, the Locarno Film Festival has combined the Best Actor and Best Actress awards into a single Best Acting award.
The Ecumenical Jury Award, which 'In Front of Your Face' also received, is an independent award given by a jury from the Swiss Protestant and Catholic churches. It honors works that convey messages about human life and dignity, social values, peace and human rights, and spiritual dimensions.
The film features Kwon Hae-hyo, Shin Seok-ho, and Park Mi-so, who have appeared in several of Hong's previous works. Choi Myung-gil, primarily known for her work in dramas, collaborated with Hong for the first time in 'In Front of Your Face.'
Hong and Kim attended the film screening and a Q&A session with the audience. Kim shared, "This is the first film I shot after having a baby. During filming, I brought my baby to the set, and I was busy preparing for the film while also taking care of the baby, including breastfeeding and making baby food." She added, "I think I was in a healthy state of mind, having completed all the preparations for the baby before focusing on the film."
Hong expressed his joy in being able to discuss his film with the audience, stating, "In the past, I used to have such opportunities in Korea, but due to personal circumstances and various reasons, these occasions have become rare."
The Golden Leopard, the top award at the 79th Locarno Film Festival, was awarded to Romanian director Florin Serban for 'You Do Not Belong Here.' The Jury Special Award went to the Brazilian-German co-production 'The Riverbank,' directed by Mateus Parias and Enock Carvalho.
'In Front of Your Face,' which premiered at the Locarno Film Festival, is set to be released in South Korea in the second half of this year.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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