Actor Yeom Seung has been recognized for her acting on the international stage through her first feature film lead role in the movie "Underground Idol".
The film "Underground Idol," in which actor Yeom Seung carried the entire film with a powerful performance, won the International Feature Grand Prize, the festival's highest honor, at the 2025 Santa Maria Music & Film Festival held in Santa Maria, Laguna, Philippines on Dec. 6.
Directed by Lee Soo-seong, "Underground Idol" portrays the desperate yet comic survival stories of "under" artists who failed to see the light behind the glamorous era when K-pop dominates the world. The film was praised for most faithfully embodying this year's festival theme, See what others can't.
This award is especially meaningful because it is actor Yeom Seung's first lead role in a feature film. Yeom Seung played Seung-hyun, a character with a bold premise who disguises herself as a man and joins a boy group when her dream of debuting as a girl group member is threatened, and she steadily drove the film's narrative. Yeom Seung brought the male-disguised female character—who could have easily become exaggerated—to life with her refreshingly restrained and spirited performance, drawing the audience into the story.
In particular, the film delicately depicted the sorrow and joy of the "underground idol," who struggles against the walls of reality rather than appearing as a glamorous stage idol. Her sincere eyes, which remain even in comic situations, added credibility to the character, and her layered performance that combined laughter and poignancy played a decisive role in eliciting audience praise calling it a "honest and human story."
Jennifer Maliwanag, the festival organizing chair, highly praised Yeom Seung's performance for providing the film with its center as the lead, calling it the performance that most beautifully and truthfully realized the festival's theme, and through this grand prize win Yeom Seung proved her limitless potential as an actor on the international stage.
Meanwhile, "Underground Idol," Yeom Seung's first feature film lead that showcased a wide spectrum across genres and performances that captivated the public, is currently available to watch at home via various platforms such as IPTV.
[Photo] Inyeon Entertainment, 2025 Santa Maria Music & Film Festival
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