The Grand Bell Awards (Korean: 대종상 영화제; RR: Daejongsang Yeonghwajae), also known as the Daejong Film Awards, is an awards ceremony presented annually by The Motion Pictures Association of Korea for excellence in film in South Korea.[1][2]
The Grand Bell Awards retains prestige as the oldest continuous film awards held in South Korea, and has been called the Korean equivalent of the American Academy Awards.[3][4][5]
History
The ceremony has been hosted by the Ministry of Culture and Information since 1962. The awards ceased for a couple years beginning in 1969, but were revived in 1972 after the establishment of the Korea Motion Picture Promotion Association, in an effort to stimulate the then-stagnant film industry.[6]
The 59th edition of the award ceremony was co-hosted with the Gyeonggi Arts Center for the first time at the Gyeonggi Arts Center Grand Theater and Convention Hall on 15 November 2023. Cha In-pyo and Jang Do-yeon were master of ceremonies for the award night.[7]
In December 2023, the Federation of Korean Filmmakers, which hosted the Awards, was declared bankrupt by the Seoul Bankruptcy Court.[8] The sale of the Daejong Film Festival trademark rights was announced in November 2024. The future of the Grand Bell Awards is unclear.
^Lee Young-il (1988). The History of Korean Cinema. Translated by Richard Lynn Greever. Seoul: Motion Picture Promotion Corporation. pp. 275–278. ISBN89-88095-12-X.
^Lee Ha-neul (15 November 2023). """힘든 시기 속 명맥 이어가길" 제59회 대종상, '콘유' 6관왕→여우상 '무빙' 한효주까지[종합]" ["May we continue to live in this difficult time" 59th Grand Bell Awards, 6 wins for ‘Con Yu’ → Han Hyo-joo for Best Actress for ‘Moving’ [Comprehensive]]. Ten Asia (in Korean). Naver. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
