Jeon Do-yeon Takes Home Seventh Award

Actress Jeon Do-yeon, center, is flanked by director Lee Chang-dong, left and actor Song Kang-ho, right at the 6th Korea Film Festival Saturday. / Yonhap

By Han Sang-hee
Staff Reporter

Korean actress Jeon Do-yeon, the queen of Cannes, is the most high profile actress in the country this year. The 34-year-old took home yet another award Saturday at the 6th Korea Film Festival held in Seoul.

At the annual event, director Lee Chang-dong's film ``Secret Sunshine'' secured Jeon her seventh award this year. Her winning streak started in May with the Best Actress Award at the Cannes Film Festival.

Following on the heels of the Cannes' win, Jeon took home the special award from Korea's Daejong Film Festival, the Okgwan Order of Culture Merit from the Korean Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Best Actress Award from the Asia Pacific Screen Awards (where the film also won the prize for Best Feature Film).

She continued to sweep awards, winning the Best Actress Award from the Korean Movie Critics Association and the annual Blue Dragon Awards.

``Secret Sunshine'' portrays Jeon as a widowed mother who moves to Miryang, a small city in North Gyeongsang Province with her son after the death of her husband. Unscreened clips were found by Internet users after the screening of the film, showing Jeon acting the young widow crying hysterically in the cold waters of a nearby lake. The scenes were enough to move viewers with her signature acting style, marked by intensity and charisma.

The ambitious actress now awaits two possible additions to her trophy collection, this time in Hollywood with nominations for the Golden Globes and the Academy Awards.

The Korea Film Festival was truly a night for ``Secret Sunshine,'' with Jeon's co-star Song Kang-ho also being named Best Actor and director Lee Chang-dong chosen as Best Director.