Organized by Sports Chosun, the 44th Blue Dragon Film Awards was held at the Yeouido KBS Hall on November 24, 2023. Smugglers won Best Film while Um Tae-hwa (Concrete Utopia) was awarded Best Director. Jung Yu-mi (Sleep) and Lee Byung-hun (Concrete Utopia) took home the Best Actress and Best Actor trophies, respectively.
Photos from Sports Chosun and AsianWiki
Popular Star Awardees Jo In-sung, Song Joong-ki, Park Bo-young, and Kim Seon-ho stunned everyone with their grace and charm since they walked the red carpet.
Kim Hye-soo and Yoo Yeon-seok hosted the event. The night concluded with Kim Hye-soo being honored for her three decades of service as Blue Dragon Film Awards master of ceremonies and for being a strong pillar of South Korean cinema.
Driven by its mission to promote the South Korean movie industry, the Blue Dragon Film Awards has become one of the most prestigious awards honoring the movers and shakers of South Korean cinema.
This year's winners are the following:
Best Picture: Smugglers
Best Director: Um Tae-hwa, Concrete Utopia
Best Actress: Jung Yu-mi, Sleep
Best Actor: Lee Byung-hun, Concrete Utopia
Best Supporting Actress: Jeon Yeo-been, Cobweb
Best Supporting Actor: Jo In-sung, Smugglers
Best New Director: Ahn Tae-jin, The Night Owl
Best New Actress: Go Min-si, Smugglers
Best New Actor: Hong Sa-bin, Hopeless
Best Screenplay: July Jung, Next Sohee
Best Art Direction: Jeong Yi-jin, Cobweb
Best Music: Jang Ki-ha, Smugglers
Best Technical Achievement (Visual Effects): Jin Jong-hyun, The Moon
Best Editing: Kim Sun-min, The Night Owl
Best Cinematography and Lighting: Kim Tae-kyung and Hong Seung-chul, The Night Owl
Audience Choice Award for Most Popular Film: The Roundup: No Way Out
Best Short Film: Yoo Jae-in, Ghwa the Last Name
Popular Star Awards: Jo In-sung, Song Joong-ki, Park Bo-young, and Kim Seon-ho
Photo from Sports Chosun
In a surprise appearance, Jung Woo-sung presented Kim Hye-soo an honorary award for having hosted the ceremony since 1993 and concluding her service during this year's event.
“I started hosting the Blue Dragon Film Awards with the hope of following the ins and outs of the film industry and being a part of its development 31 years ago. Hosting the ceremony has become an end-of-the-year ritual over the years and it feels like a part of me. I do believe that I have done my best as a female host for the awards and I won’t look back,” said Kim Hye-soo as she accepted the award.
KBS and KBS2 broadcast the ceremony live across many countries. The official KBS YouTube channel @KBSEnt also live-streamed the event. See the full coverage below:
Comments