‘Concrete Utopia,’ ‘Moving’ sweep 59th Daejong Film Awards

Director Um Tae-hwa’s dystopian thriller “Concrete Utopia” swept Wednesday’s 59th Daejong Film Awards.

Hosted by actor Cha In-pyo and comedian Jang Do-yeon, the award ceremony, also known as the Grand Bell Awards, was held at Gyeonggi Arts Center in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, on a smaller scale than in previous years.

“Concrete Utopia” won the most coveted best picture award and five other awards, with Lee Byung-hun snatching the best actor award for his role in it. Actor Lee Sun-young won the best supporting actress award. "Concrete Utopia" is Korea's entry for next year's Oscars.

The best actress award went to Kim Seo-hyung of “Greenhouse,” which tells the story of a nurse and caregiver, Moon-jung, who lives in a greenhouse. It delves into the character's downfall as she tries to cover up the accidental death of an old couple in her care.

It was Kim’s fifth win at the Daejong Film Awards.

The best director award went to director Ryoo Seung-wan of “Smugglers,” which attracted 5.1 million moviegoers this summer, surpassing its breakeven point at 4 million admissions.