Na Hong-jin’s ‘Hope’ has emerged as the frontrunner at the 47th Blue Dragon Film Awards, earning nominations in 10 categories, Sports Chosun reported on October 28. The nominations, covering 15 categories and 18 films in total, were decided through a combination of expert panel judging and a first round of online voting held from October 13 to 25.
‘Hope’ will compete for Best Picture against ‘The King’s Warden,’ ‘The World of Love,’ ‘Assassins,’ and Yeon Sang-ho’s zombie feature. The five directors behind those films — Na Hong-jin, Jang Hang-jun, Yoon Ga-eun, Heo Jin-ho, and Yeon Sang-ho — will also face off in the Best Director race.
‘Hope’ picked up nominations for Best Picture and Best Director, along with acting nods for Zo In-sung in the Best Actor race, Um Mun-suk for Best Supporting Actor, and Jung Ho-yeon for Best New Actress. The film also earned nominations for cinematography and lighting, music, art direction, editing, and technical achievement, giving it a shot across both performance and craft categories.
Lee Chang-dong’s ‘Possible Love,’ his first collaboration with Netflix, followed with eight nominations. The film is the only nominee to land all four lead and supporting acting nominations, with Sul Kyung-gu and Jeon Do-yeon up for Best Actor and Best Actress, and Zo In-sung and Jo Yeo-jeong nominated for Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress. Jang Hang-jun’s ‘The King’s Warden,’ the year’s biggest box-office hit with 16.93 million admissions, earned seven nominations, while Yeon Sang-ho’s zombie film collected six.
The Best Actor race pits Koo Kyo-hwan, Park Hae-il, Sul Kyung-gu, Yoo Hae-jin, and Zo In-sung against one another, while the Best Actress contenders are Go Ah-sung, Moon Ga-young, Shin Min-a, Lee Jung-eun, and Jeon Do-yeon. ‘The World of Love’ and ‘Assassins’ each earned five nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director.
The Blue Dragon Film Awards, first launched in 1963, are widely regarded as one of Korean cinema’s most prestigious honors. The breadth of this year’s field — from blockbuster hits to independent features — reflects a strong year for Korean cinema.
Audiences will also have a say in the final results. Online voting opens on November 2 through the CelebChamp mobile app, covering 16 categories, and each netizen vote carries the same weight as one expert judge’s vote. The winners will be announced at the ceremony on November 25 at KBS Hall in Yeouido, which will be broadcast on KBS2.
