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Manila Bulletin devider Entertainment devider Movies and TV devider Seoul International Drama Awards 2025 unveils nominees

Seoul International Drama Awards 2025 unveils nominees

Published Aug 7, 2025 10:00 am  |  Updated Aug 7, 2025 03:33 pm
Some of this year's nominees (Photos from SDA)
Some of this year's nominees (Photos from SDA)

The Seoul International Drama Awards 2025 revealed the nominees for the International Competition Category. 

The Seoul Drama Awards Organizing Committee (headed by Chairman Mun-shin Bang) announced that 24 titles and 32 individuals have been nominated in the program and individual categories, respectively, following evaluations of 276 entries from 50 countries and regions by a global panel of judges.

Netflix’s “Adolescence” and AppleTV+’s “Pachinko” season 2 led with four nominations each. 

Supported by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Seoul City, KBS, MBC, SBS, EBS, and CBS, the Seoul International Drama Awards 2025 will announce the winners in September.

The awards ceremony will be broadcast on Oct. 2, 5:50 p.m. KST via SBS TV and the official YouTube channel. 

From Oct. 3 to 4, a variety of events will take place around Banpo Hangang Park and Songpa Naru Park, including drama talk concerts, OST concerts, interactive experience zones, and the “SDA Golden Bell” quiz event.

Here are the nominees: 

Program Nominations 

TV Movie

Champagne-Peppino di Capri (Italy) - RAI Radiotelevisione Italiana

La Puerta Verde (Mexico) - Gatuno Films

Our Beautiful Summer (South Korea) - CJ ENM

Smetana (Czech Republic) Czech Television

The Son (South Korea) - CJ ENM

Though Dead, Still Alive (Taiwan) - Taigi TV Station

To My Lonely Sister (South Korea) - KBS

Unbalanced Love (South Korea) - CJ ENM

Miniseries

Adolescence (UK) - Netflix

Asura (Japan) - Netflix

Hyper Knife (South Korea) - The Walt Disney Company Korea

Light of My Lion (Japan) - Tokyo Broadcasting System Television Inc.

One Hundred Years of Solitude (Colombia) - Netflix

Pachinko S2 (US)  - Apple TV+

Sunny (US) - Apple TV+

The Eternaut (Argentina) - Netflix

Series

D.I.D. 12 (Hong Kong) - Television Broadcasts Limited

Emerald Hill - The Little Nyonya Story (Singapore) - Mediacorp Pte Ltd

For Eagle Brothers (South Korea) - KBS

Saving Grace (Philippines) - ABS-CBN Studios

She’s The One (Brazil) - Globo

The Beach S2 (Greece) - ERT S.A. Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation

The Good & The Bad (Turkiye) - AY YAPIM

The Nightfall (Turkiye) - ATV

Individual Nominations

Director

Alex Garcia et al. - One Hundred Years of Solitude - Netflix (Colombia)

Ben Stiller et al. - Severance S2 - Apple TV+ (US)

Bille August - The Count of Montecristo - RAI Radiotelevisione Italiana (Italy)

Hirokazu Kore-eda - Asura - Netflix (Japan)

Jin-ah Lee - To My Lonely Sister - KBS (South Korea)

Leanne Welham et al. - Pachinko S2 - Apple TV+ (US)

Lucy Tcherniak - Sunny - Apple TV+ (US)

Philip Barantini - Adolescence - Netflix (U.K.)

Kim Won-suk - When Life Gives You Tangerines - Netflix (South Korea)

Yiannis Vasileiadis - Grand Hotel - JK PRODUCTIONS SA–KARAGIANNIS (Greece)

Screenwriter

Dan Erickson - Severance S2 - Apple TV+ (US)

Danica Domingo et al. - Saving Grace - ABS-CBN Studios (Philippines)

Emmanuel Carrere - Beyond the Grave, a New Adamsberg's Case - France TV Distribution (France)

Jan Schomburg et al. - Other People’s Money - Beta Film (Germany)

José Rivera et al. - One Hundred Years of Solitude - Netflix (Colombia)

Katie Robbins - Sunny - Apple TV+ (US)

Lim Sang-choon - When Life Gives You Tangerines - Netflix (South Korea)

Soo Hugh - Pachinko S2 - Apple TV+ (US)

Stephen Graham et al. - Adolescence - Netflix (U.K.)

Actor

Adam Scott - Severance S2 - Apple TV+ (US)

Benjamin Voisin - Carême - Apple TV+ (France)

Giorgos Ninios - The Beach S2 - ERT S.A. HELLENIC BROADCASTING CORPORATION (Greece)

Han Chin - Forget You Not - Netflix (Taiwan)

Owen Cooper - Adolescence - Netflix (UK)

Samuel Le Bihan - Alone at Sea - France TV Distribution (France)

Actress

Cate Blanchett - Disclaimer - Apple TV+ (UK)

Kim Dami - Nine Puzzles - The Walt Disney Company Korea (South Korea)

Duda Santos - She’s The One - Globo (Brazil)

Kim Jung-Young - My Trouble-Maker Mom - CJ ENM (South Korea)

Kim Minha - Pachinko S2 - Apple TV+ (US)

Rie Miyazawa - Asura - Netflix (Japan)

Ying-xuan Hsieh - Forget You Not - Netflix (Taiwan)

Last month, the global voting for SDA Outstanding Asian Star and Outstanding Korean Drama OST (original soundtrack) ended. 

Fans voted for Outstanding Asian Star for South Korea, Philippines, Malaysia, Japan, China, and Thailand, and Outstanding Korean Drama OST.

Korea Popularity Award

For the SDA Outstanding Star Korea Popularity Award, Kim Seon-ho of “The Tyrant” won in the male category and BLACKPINK’s Jisoo of “Newtopia” topped the female category. 

In the male category, Kim Seon-ho garnered 46.77 percent of the votes to win the category while Jisoo got 38.28 percent. 

Outstanding Korean drama OST

Trot singer Young Tak’s song “An Unknowable Life” for the drama “For Eagle Brothers” won the Outstanding Korean OST with 52.08 percent of the votes. 

SDA Outstanding Asian Star-Philippines 

For Outstanding Asian Star in the Philippines, Daniel Padilla of “Incognito” won with 84.15 percent of the votes. 

SDA Outstanding Asian Star-Thailand 

For Outstanding Asian Star in Thailand, the winner is actress Film Rachanun of “Pluto” with 50.44 percent of the votes. 

SDA Outstanding Asian Star-Japan

For Outstanding Asian Star in Japan, actor Kentaro Sakaguchi of “Beyond Goodbye” won with 64.19 percent of the votes. 

SDA Outstanding Asian Star-Malaysia

For Outstanding Asian Star in Malaysia, Anna Jobling of “Dear Love” won with 93.12 percent of the votes. 

SDA Outstanding Asian Star-China

For Outstanding Asian Star in China, Yu Bai of “Bank on Me” took the top spot with 53.17 percent. 

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