By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter
Veteran actress
Kim Hye-ja was named Best Actress in the foreign film category of China's top film festival for her role in
"Mother - 2009", the film's local producer announced Friday.
The China Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival (Jinji Baihua) opened its 18th edition this year in Nanchang from Oct. 14 to 17, with 155 films competing for 18 awards.
It has been screening and awarding foreign films since 2005. Prizes are unique in that they compile votes by both jury members and the audience.
Kim is known as South Korea's quintessential mother figure through her TV roles.
Bong Joon-ho's crime thriller marked the 68-year-old's big screen debut, and she surprised fans with her intense performance of an obsessive mother who becomes involved in a murder case.
She was also named Best Actress at three local awards including the Busan Film Critics' Award
Past Korean winners in the foreign film category of the Chinese festival include actor
Jo Seung-woo. The top prizes, including Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Cinematography and Best Art Direction, went to Yin Li's "Iron Man".
Meanwhile,
"Mother - 2009" was sold in 12 countries, including the United States, France and the United Kingdom.
It was released in Japan on Oct. 31 and will open in Hong Kong theaters on Nov. 9. The film received critical acclaim in international film festivals, including Cannes, Toronto and Vancouver.
