Director Hong Sang-soo and actor Kim Min-hee's collaborative film "What a Place to Be" has won three awards at the 79th Locarno Film Festival.

At the closing ceremony of the 79th Locarno Film Festival held on August 15 (local time), Director Hong Sang-soo won the Best Director Award and the Ecumenical Jury Award for "What a Place to Be," while actor Kim Min-hee won the Best Actor Award.

Director Hong has a deep connection with the Locarno Film Festival. Starting with the Best Director Award for "Our Sunhi" in 2013, he won the Golden Leopard grand prize and Best Actor Award (Jung Jae-young) for "Right Now, Wrong Then" in 2015, the Best Actor Award (Gi Ju-bong) for "Hotel by the River" in 2018, and the Best Actor Award (Kim Min-hee) for "By the Stream" in 2024, adding yet another honor to his list of awards.

The Ecumenical Jury Award, won alongside the Best Director and Best Actor awards, is an independent award presented by a jury of Swiss Protestant and Catholic church members. It is given to works that deeply incorporate messages of human life and dignity, social values, peace, human rights, and spiritual dimensions.

Following her Best Actor win at the 77th Locarno Film Festival for Director Hong Sang-soo's "By the Stream" in 2024, Kim Min-hee won her second Best Actor Award at the Locarno Film Festival for "What a Place to Be."

After receiving the award, Kim said, "Thank you to the director for making a film as beautiful as a poem," adding, "Thank you so much to our wonderful colleagues, and I want to share this award with you."

She continued, "Thank you so much to my other colleague, Su-mi. I am with my baby right now," before shedding tears.

Kim said, "My friends in Jeju, I am so happy to share such joyful news. Thank you," and added, "Moving forward, I will act holding only a truly loving heart."

Mentioning Director Hong Sang-soo once more, she concluded her acceptance speech by saying, "Whenever my heart feels heavy and stifled, I will definitely watch this movie again every time. Thank you, Director."

Director Hong Sang-soo and Kim Min-hee formed a relationship as director and actor through "Right Now, Wrong Then" in 2016, and confessed "we are in a relationship" at a press screening for "On the Beach at Night Alone" in 2017. Hong is a married man with a daughter. Kim gave birth to a son with Director Hong last year.

"What a Place to Be" is scheduled to be released domestically in the second half of this year following its world premiere at the Locarno Film Festival.


(Photo: Yonhap News)