Acclaimed South Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook has been awarded the Best Director prize at Spain's prestigious Sitges Film Festival for his latest dark comedy "No Other Choice." The honor was announced by the film's local distributor CJ ENM on Monday, marking another significant international recognition for the celebrated auteur.
The award was presented during the 58th edition of the Sitges Film Festival, which has been a prominent showcase for fantasy and horror cinema since its establishment in 1968. The festival has built a reputation as one of Europe's most important genre film events, making Park's recognition particularly meaningful within the international film community.
"No Other Choice" is based on "The Ax," a satirical thriller novel published in 1997 by renowned American author Donald E. Westlake. The film tells the compelling story of Man-soo, portrayed by acclaimed actor Lee Byung-hun, who plays a desperate father of two children. After losing his long-term employment, Man-soo finds himself forced to wage a personal battle for survival, leading to increasingly dark and comedic situations.
This latest recognition continues Park Chan-wook's successful relationship with the Sitges Film Festival, where he has previously received multiple honors. In 2004, his masterpiece "Oldboy" took home the festival's Best Film award, while his 2016 erotic thriller "The Handmaiden" earned the Grand Audience Award in 2017. These previous wins have established Park as a festival favorite and demonstrate his consistent appeal to genre film audiences.
The Sitges Best Director award represents just the most recent achievement in an impressive series of international accolades for "No Other Choice." Last month, the film captured the International People's Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), one of the world's most prestigious film events. The movie also competed in the main competition at this year's Venice International Film Festival, vying for the coveted Golden Lion, cinema's highest honor.
Looking ahead, "No Other Choice" has been selected as South Korea's official submission for consideration in the Best International Feature Film category at the upcoming Academy Awards. This nomination represents a significant opportunity for the film to gain further recognition on the global stage and potentially bring additional honors to Korean cinema.
