▲ This Yonhap file photo shows South Korean actress Shim Eun-kyung. (Yonhap)

 

SEOUL, Jan. 30 (Yonhap) -- Actress Shim Eun-kyung has become the first Korean actor to receive the best actress award from Japan’s Kinema Junpo.

 

Distributor At Nine Film said Friday that Shim, the lead of the film "Travel and Days," was selected as the best actress at the 99th Kinema Junpo Best 10 awards.

 

Founded in 1919, Kinema Junpo is a leading Japanese film magazine that annually announces its Best 10 films of the year and presents acting and other awards. Along with the Japan Academy Film Prize, it is considered one of the country’s most prestigious film honors.

 

This marks the first time a Korean actor has won an acting award from Kinema Junpo.

 

“I am grateful to receive such a wonderful award,” Shim said in a statement. “I was already happy just to have met this project in such a miraculous way, and I am truly delighted to be honored with this recognition. I believe audiences around the world will also be captivated by director Sho Miyake’s unique cinematic world seen in ‘Travel and Days.’”

 

"Travel and Days" also topped the Kinema Junpo Best 10 list, earning the top spot among Japanese films of the year. The awards ceremony will be held on Feb. 19.

 

The film follows a screenwriter named Lee who, after falling into a slump, travels to a small snow-covered town, where unexpected events unfold. It was directed by Sho Miyake, known for films including "Small, Slow But Steady" (2022), with Shim portraying the protagonist Lee.

 

"Travel and Days" previously won the Golden Leopard, the top prize in the international competition section, at the 78th Locarno Film Festival last year. It was released in South Korea on Dec. 10.

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