Song Kang-ho named Best Actor at Cannes for 'Broker'

Agencies | Cannes

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

On Saturday, actor Song Kang-ho was named Best Actor at this year's Cannes Film Festival for his performance in the drama "Broker," becoming the first South Korean male actor to win an acting prize at the prestigious fest. 

At the closing ceremony for the 75th edition of the festival held at Palais Lumiere in Cannes, Song took home the best actor prize for his role as a baby broker in the film written and directed by the Cannes-winning Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda, Yonhap News Agency reported.

 "I'm so grateful and honoured. I would like to thank director Kore-eda, who is a great artist," Song said in an acceptance speech. "I also want to share this gratitude and honour with our cast members of Kang Dong-won, Lee Ji-eun, Bae Doo-na and Lee Joo-young." 

It is the first title that he earned from Cannes, although he has starred in several Cannes-winning titles, including Bong Joon-ho's "Parasite" (2019) and Park Chan-wook's "Thirst" (2009). 

He also became the first South Korean male actor to win an acting prize at Cannes. Jeon Do-Yeon was awarded Best Actress for her role in the drama "Secret Sunshine" in 2007, in which Song also starred. 

"Broker," Kore-eda's first Korean-language project, depicts the relationships of characters formed through a baby box, where people anonymously drop off newborns that they can't raise.

The song plays Sang-Hyun, who steals an unattended infant left by its parents at a baby box and sells it to parents who need babies.