Actor Jung Woo visited the 30th Busan International Film Festival with the film "Jjanggu," which he directed and appears in. Especially, he was selected as the winner of the "People of Film Loved by Busan" award, newly established since last year's festival, adding special meaning.
At the eve event held on the outdoor stage at Biff Square in Nampo-dong, Jung-gu, Busan, on the 16th, Choi Jin-bong, mayor of Jung-gu, Busan, presented Jung Woo with a plaque of appreciation. This continued Jung Woo's deep ties with Busan. The festival side said wittily, "Following the film 'Wind,' which is full of Busan sentiment, and now 'Jjanggu,' we, like Jung Woo's love for Busan, shout our thirty-fivefold love for Jung Woo." Jung Woo shone at the ceremony as he received the award alongside director Yoon Je-gyun.
Jung Woo said, "At 19 I moved from Busan to Seoul to study acting. I am deeply moved to receive such a major award from Busan audiences. I am truly grateful to be invited to this year's Busan International Film Festival with 'Jjanggu,' a work that tells the later story of the boy named Jjanggu who appears in the film 'Wind.' If you send much interest and support, I will repay the audiences as an actor and as a person. I have a connection with director Yoon Je-gyun, with whom I received the award today, from the film 'The Himalayas.' It is an honor once again to receive this award together with a great director," expressing his heartfelt feelings.
Particularly, "Jjanggu," which is being revealed as a world premiere through the Busan International Film Festival's "Korean Cinema Today - Special Premiere" section, is the work in which Jung Woo first took the director's seat and also appears himself, reflecting his challenge not only as an actor but also as a creator. Having steadily built his filmography moving between drama and film, he put his own perspective and sensibility fully onto the screen through this work. Notably, Jung Woo was also appointed two years ago as a juror for the Busan International Film Festival's "Actor of the Year" award alongside Han Ye-ri.
At this Busan International Film Festival, Jung Woo and cast members of "Jjanggu" — Jung Soo-jung, Shin Seung-ho, Hyeon Bong-sik, Kwon So-hyun, and Jo Beom-gyu — will participate in official events such as open cinema and audience Q&As during the festival period to meet audiences more closely.
Meanwhile, the 30th Busan International Film Festival, where Jung Woo's directed film "Jjanggu" can be seen first, runs across Busan from Sep. 17 to 26.
[Photo] provided
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