[Edaily Starin YUN GI BACK Reporter] Director Hong Sang-soo and actress Kim Min-hee both took home awards at the Locarno Film Festival for their new film *Nowhere to Lay My Eyes*. Notably, Kim Min-hee won the Best Actress Award at the same festival for the second time in two years, adding another milestone to her long-standing collaboration with Director Hong.

At the closing ceremony of the 79th Locarno International Film Festival held in Switzerland on the 15th (local time), Director Hong’s 35th feature film, *Nowhere to Lay My Eyes*, won three awards: Best Director, Best Actress, and the Ecumenical Jury Prize. Director Hong received the Best Director Award, and lead actress Kim Min-hee received the Best Actress Award.
This is not Director Hong’s first connection with the Locarno Film Festival. “Nowhere to Look” is the fifth film Director Hong has presented at the festival, following “Our Sun-hee” (2013), “Right Now, Wrong Then” (2015), “River Hotel” (2018), and “Suyu Stream” (2024).
His track record at the festival has been consistently strong. He won the Best Director Award for *Our Sun-hee* and took home the festival’s top prize, the Golden Leopard, along with the Best Actor Award (Jeong Jae-young) for *Right Now, Wrong Then*. Ki Joo-bong won Best Actor for *Riverfront Hotel*, and Kim Min-hee won Best Actress for *Suyu Stream*. With the addition of this year’s Best Director and Best Actor awards, Locarno has become one of the leading international film festivals that has consistently spotlighted Director Hong’s body of work.
Particularly noteworthy is Kim Min-hee’s second win. Following her Best Actress award at the 77th Locarno Film Festival in 2024 for *Suyu Stream*, she has won the same award again just two years later. This marks consecutive recognition of her acting prowess at Locarno through Director Hong’s films.

The fact that the film also won the Ecumenical Jury Prize is particularly significant. Awarded separately from the official prizes in the competition section, this award is selected by a jury of Protestant and Catholic members based on criteria such as human dignity, life, social values, peace, and spiritual messages. This indicates that *Nowhere to Look* received special recognition not only for its direction and acting but also for the thematic depth of the film itself.
This film also draws attention for the collaborative approach between Director Hong and Kim Min-hee. Director Hong took on not only production, screenwriting, and directing but also cinematography, sound recording, editing, and music, while Kim Min-hee starred in the lead role and was credited as production manager. The two are continuing their collaboration throughout the entire film production process, extending beyond their roles as actor and director.
The cast features Kwon Hae-hyo, Shin Seok-ho, and Park Mi-so, all familiar faces from Director Hong’s films. It is also noteworthy that Choi Myung-gil, who has long been active primarily in television dramas, has joined a project by Director Hong for the first time.
“Nowhere to Look,” which made its world premiere at the Locarno Film Festival, is scheduled to be released to Korean audiences in the second half of this year.