“The Fragile Colossus” from France and the Korean drama “Big Bet” won the top prizes at the 18th Seoul International Drama Awards (SDA) held on Sept. 21 at the KBS Hall in Seoul, South Korea.
Filipino actress Kathryn Bernardo and Thai actor Gun Atthaphan Phunsawat attended the awarding ceremony to receive their awards.
The winners at the 18th Seoul International Drama Awards (SDA Organizing Committee)
“The Fragile Colossus” (SDA Organizing Committee)
Korean actor Choi Min-sik (SDA Organizing Committee)
Lee Sung-min (SDA Organizing Committee)
Bernardo and Gun, known for the Thai BL (boys’ love) series “Theory of Love,” are the winners of the Outstanding Asian Star awards for the Philippines and Thailand, respectively.
Other winners are Park Eun-bin (South Korea), Yunxi Luo (China) and Yusei Yagi (Japan).
Bernardo won the award for the series “2 Good 2 Be True” that aired last year.
“I’m still overwhelmed and I feel surreal. I would like to share this award with all of you. I fell in love with this project because of the storyline. This project made me appreciate our nurses and our healthcare workers. So it was really more than just another TV show for me,” said Bernardo.
Kathryn Bernardo (Screenshot from KBS video on YouTube)
Thai actor Gun Atthaphan Phunsawat (Screenshot from KBS video on YouTube)
Park Eun-bin (Screenshot from KBS video on YouTube)
Park Eun-bin was unable to attend the ceremony but thanked the organizers for the award in a video message.
“I won ‘Outstanding Asian Star’ at Seoul International Drama Awards 2023. I truly thank you for always sending overflowing love. These days, I can feel that love is visible when I see ‘Bingo’ [fans]. I think that the heart and energy of being able to love someone is a great thing. I sincerely thank you for always showing overflowing greatness. I will do my bst to make every hour we will spend together meaningful. I hope you like my next project as well, said Park Eun-bin, who won the award for the hit drama “Extraordinary Attorney Woo.”
Gun Atthaphan Phunsawat was recognized for “Midnight Museum,” Yunxi Luo for “Till the End of the Moon” and Yusei Yagi for “My Beautiful Man S2.”
The Grand Prize in the International Competition was awarded to “The Fragile Colossus” from France. “The Fragile Colossus” is the story of Sébastien, a huge rugby player who was sexually assaulted as a child, trying to prevent damage to a boy who is in the same situation as he once was.
The drama also won best director Stéphanie Murat and best screenwriter for Aude Marcle.
The Golden Bird Prize went to the Korean drama “Big Bet” in the program category and its star, Choi Min-sik in the individual category.
The Golden Bird Prize is a category that SDAOC presents to a drama and individual that have made a mark in the drama industry with achievement in both quality and popularity.
A total of 344 entries from 44 countries and regions were submitted to the SDA this year.
Here are the winners:
INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION
Grand Prize - The Fragile Colossus (France)
Best TV Movie
- Mayflies (UK)
- Belascoarán PI (Mexico)
Best Miniseries
- The Long Season (China)
- Reborn Rich (South Korea)
Best TV Series - Meet Yourself (China)
Act Like You're Asleep (Greece)
Best Director - Stéphanie Murat, The Fragile Colossus (France)
Best Screenwriter
- Aude Marcle, The Fragile Colossus (France)
- Nima Javidi, The Actor (Iran)
Best Actor - Wei Fan, The Long Season (China)
Best Actress - Nina Ellen Ødegård, Afterglow (Norway)
- Suzy, Anna (South Korea)
INTERNATIONAL INVITATION CATEGORY
The grand prize in the International Competition and Golden Bird Prize in International Invitation will be announced at the awarding ceremony. The Golden Bird Prize is a new award selected by SDAOC itself and will be given to “one of the most successful series that leads the industry of the year.”
Golden Bird Prize - Big Bet (Program)
Golden Bird Prize - Choi Min-sik, “Big Bet” (Individual)
Special Prize - Cammo (Norway)
Outstanding Asian Star
- Kathryn Bernardo (Philippines)
- Park Eun-bin (South Korea)
- Gun Atthaphan Phunsawat (Thailand)
- Yunxi Luo (China)
- Yusei Yagi (Japan)
IDOLCHAMP Artist Award - Sunghoon (ENHYPEN), Mimicus
KOREAN DRAMA COMPETITION
Outstanding Korean Drama
- The Glory
- Extraordinary Attorney Woo
Outstanding Korean Actor - Lee Sung-min (Reborn Rich)
Outstanding Korean Drama OST - “Meet You Among Them” by Kim Ho-joong for drama KBS drama “Three Bold Siblings”
The Seoul International Drama Awards was sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Seoul Metropolitan Government, KBS, MBC, SBS, EBS and CBS.