Jeon Do-yeon is one of the most versatile and well-known actresses in the Korean movie industry, having performed a wide range of roles for the last 10 years, but unfortunately, she has not had a chance to show off her talent on the international stage at least until May this year.
In May, she was finally invited to the Cannes Film Festival for her role in "Secret Sunshine", and she said she was just excited about having a chance to meet world-famous stars. But she did more than meet matinee idols at the festival.
The 34-year-old won the Cannes film festival's Best Actress award for her brave and inspiring depiction of a grieving Korean woman struggling to rebuild her life in a new city in "Secret Sunshine", the first picture in four years by Lee Chang-dong, a former Korean culture minister.
Thanks to her emotionally powerful acting in the challenging role, there had been speculation that she had a good chance of receiving an award at Cannes.
With the award, she also became the second Korean to be recognized at a major international
competition.
The last Korean actress to win an international award was Kang Soo-yeon in 1987 for her role in "Surrogate Mother" at the Venice Film Festival.
After being named Best Actress at the 2007 Cannes International Film Festival, she was selected as one of the 50 most influential women in the world by a noted U.S. entertainment magazine.
Variety included actress Jeon Do-yeon as one of four "Leading Ladies" in its "Women's Impact Report" for this year. Her co-stars in the piece were Helen Mirren, Angelina Jolie and Marion Cotillard.
The best actress award at Cannes not only provides international recognition for her 10-year-long efforts as an actress, but also endorses the potential of the Korean cinema, dispelling growing concerns over its declining competitive edge, to some degree.
In her piece on Jeon in Variety, Darcy Paquet wrote, "it was Korea's first acting award at the world's premiere film showcase. It also was considered the one award outside of the Palme d'Or that set all heads nodding in agreement".
The best actress award at Cannes not only provides international recognition for her decade of efforts as an actress, but has endorsed the potential of the Korean cinema, dispelling growing concerns over its declining competitive edge.
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