SEOUL, February 01 (AJP) -"Bedford Park", a romance starring Korean actors Son Suk-ku and Moon Choi, won the U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Debut Feature at the Sundance Film Festival on Friday, marking a strong showing for Korean-led storytelling at the world’s leading showcase for independent cinema.
The award, which recognizes a first-time feature director, was presented during the festival’s closing ceremony in Park City, where the film had its world premiere last week. The jury cited the film “for inviting us into a world we’ve never seen depicted on film, and daring to share the very personal,” adding that the filmmaker “upended all of our assumptions of a story told with depth and skill.”
Written and directed by Korean American filmmaker Stephanie Ahn, Bedford Park follows Audrey (Moon), a Korean American woman in her 30s haunted by childhood abuse. After her mother is injured in a car accident, Audrey returns to her parents’ home in New Jersey, where she meets Eli (Son), the man responsible for the crash. As the two confront their pasts as children of immigrants, a fragile romance takes shape.
The film was produced by Gary Foster, Chris S. Lee, Nina Yang Bongiovi, Theresa Kang and Son, and features a supporting cast that includes Won Mi-kyung, Kim Eung-soo and Jefferson White. The title screened at Sundance as part of the U.S. Dramatic Competition and is available online to festival audiences.
Moon, known in Korea as Choi Hee-seo, has built a career across film and television, with credits including "Dongju: The Portrait of a Poet", "Mistress and Now", "We Are Breaking Up". Her breakout role came in the 2017 historical drama "Anarchist From Colony", for which she won both best actress and best new actress at the Grand Bell Awards.
Son has emerged as a fan favorite through television dramas such as "My Liberation Notes" and "D.P.", as well as the 2022 action hit "The Roundup," which drew more than 12 million admissions in Korea. Bedford Park marks the first U.S. production for both actors, who previously worked together in Korean projects including "Unframed" and "Night Fishing."
Widely regarded as the most important launchpad for independent American cinema, Sundance has a growing history of spotlighting Korean and Korean American stories. Recent titles include "Past Lives" by Celine Song and "Minari" by Lee Isaac Chung, both of which went on to gain major awards recognition. Many of these films, like Bedford Park, explore themes of identity, generational tension and the immigrant experience.
Separately, the Sundance Institute announced this week that the festival will relocate to Boulder, Colorado, beginning in 2027, ending its long run in Utah after the 2026 edition.
According to industry publication Variety, Sony Pictures Classics has acquired worldwide distribution rights to Bedford Park. A release date has not yet been announced.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.
