Buil Film Awards to Be Held on Oct. 7... Park Chan-wook’s 'No Other Choice' Leads Nominations

The 35th Buil Film Awards ceremony will take place at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, October 7, at the Signiel Busan Grand Ballroom in Haeundae-gu, Busan.

This year's ceremony will be broadcast live exclusively on Naver Chzzk, including pre-events such as the red carpet, backstage interviews, the live awards ceremony, and an open talk with the winner of the Star of the Year award, allowing more film fans to join in.

As South Korea's first film awards, the Buil Film Awards was launched in 1958 and led the golden age of Korean cinema in the 1960s. After being reinstated in 2008, it has continued for 19 years, maintaining its tradition and prestige.

In particular, this year is expected to feature fiercest competition yet. The most nominated work is director Park Chan-wook's "No Other Choice," which earned a total of nine nominations, including Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Cinematography, Best Music, and Best Art Direction/Technical Award.

Director Na Hong-jin's "Hope," arguably the biggest hit of 2026, followed closely with eight nominations including Best Film and Best Director, while director Yoon Ga-eun's "The Master of the World" and director Jang Hang-jun's "The King and the Man" received six nominations each.

Having surpassed 16 million moviegoers to become the top box office hit of the year so far and the second highest-grossing Korean film of all time, "The King and the Man" features Park Ji-hoon and Yoo Hae-jin—who brought tears to the entire nation with their portrayals of King Danjong and Eom Heung-do—nominated together for Best Actor, where they will engage in friendly competition. Park Ji-hoon is also nominated for Best New Actor and the Star of the Year award, vying for three trophies.

Irreplaceable actor Yum Hye-ran has simultaneously earned nominations for Best Actress for "My Name Is" and Best Supporting Actress for "No Other Choice," drawing keen attention to the award results.

Lee Byung-hun, who won Best Actor for the film "The Match," and cinematographer Hong Kyung-pyo, who won Best Cinematography for "Harbin" at the 34th Buil Film Awards held in 2025, are aiming for consecutive wins this year with "No Other Choice" and "Hope," respectively.

Following fierce competition and consensus among judges, the finalists for categories such as Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor and Actress, Supporting Actor and Actress, and Best New Director have been unveiled, alongside the opening of voting for the Star of the Year award, gathering high interest.

- Nominees for Major Categories at the 35th Buil Film Awards -

■ Best Film
"Grade 3, Semester 2", "People and Meat", "The Master of the World", "No Other Choice", "Hope"

■ Best Director
Na Hong-jin ("Hope"), Park Chan-wook ("No Other Choice"), Byun Sung-hyun ("Good News"), Yoon Ga-eun ("The Master of the World"), Jang Hang-jun ("The King and the Man")

■ Best Actor
Koo Kyo-hwan ("What If"), Park Ji-hoon ("The King and the Man"), Yoo Hae-jin ("The King and the Man"), Lee Byung-hun ("No Other Choice"), Jo In-sung ("Hope")

■ Best Actress
Ko Ah-sung ("Pavane"), Moon Ga-young ("What If"), Son Ye-jin ("No Other Choice"), Seo Su-bin ("The Master of the World"), Yum Hye-ran ("My Name Is")

■ Best Supporting Actor
Oh Jung-se ("Wild Things"), Yoo Ji-tae ("The King and the Man"), Yoon Kyung-ho ("Zombie Daughter"), Eum Moon-suk ("Hope"), Lee Sung-min ("No Other Choice")

■ Best Supporting Actress
Shin Hyun-bin ("Face"), Yum Hye-ran ("No Other Choice"), Lee Jung-eun ("Zombie Daughter"), Jang Hye-jin ("The Master of the World"), Jeon Mi-do ("The King and the Man")

■ Best New Director
Kim Yu-min ("Bayam Island"), Yoo Jae-wook ("Mountain Sheep"), Lee Sang-min ("Salmokji"), Choi Seung-woo ("Last Summer"), Han Chang-rok ("Chung-Chung-Chung")

■ Best New Actor
Moon Sang-min ("Pavane"), Park Ji-hoon ("The King and the Man"), Yoo Yi-ha ("Grade 3, Semester 2"), Cho Yu-hyun ("3670"), Joo Min-hyung ("Chung-Chung-Chung")

■ Best New Actress
Seo Su-bin ("The Master of the World"), Shin Sia ("Even If This Love Disappears from the World Tonight"), Lee Seung-yeon ("Mountain Sheep"), Jang Da-ah ("Salmokji"), Jung Ho-yeon ("Hope")

■ Best Screenplay
Byun Sung-hyun, Lee Jin-sung ("Good News"), Yeon Sang-ho ("Face"), Yoon Ga-eun ("The Master of the World"), Lee Ran-hee ("Grade 3, Semester 2"), Lim Na-mu ("People and Meat")

■ Best Cinematography
Kim Woo-hyung ("No Other Choice"), Byun Bong-sun ("Colony"), Yang Hyun-seok ("HUMINT"), Cho Hyung-rae ("Good News"), Hong Kyung-pyo ("Hope")

■ Best Music
Jo Young-wuk ("No Other Choice"), Lee Jin-hee ("Wild Things"), Dalpalan ("The King and the Man"), Lee Min-hwi ("Pavane"), Michael Abels ("Hope")

■ Best Art Direction / Technical Award
Han Ah-reum ("Good News" / Art Direction), Ryu Seong-hee ("No Other Choice" / Art Direction), Park Il-hyun ("The People Upstairs" / Art Direction), Yoo Sang-seop ("Hope" / Martial Arts), Lee Hoo-kyung ("Hope" / Art Direction)

(SBS News, Reporter Kim Ji-hye)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.