Park Chan Wook’s No Other Choice Just Dominated The 2026 Buil Film Awards Nominations

South Korea’s oldest film awards just dropped its nominee list, and one name is impossible to miss. Park Chan Wook’s No Other Choice leads the pack at the 35th Buil Film Awards with nine nominations, setting up a genuinely competitive night when the ceremony hits Busan this October.

Top Contenders List

Park Chan Wook: The Big Categories

Best Film brings together five very different stories: The Final Semester, People and Meat, The World of Love, No Other Choice, and HOPE — a spread that covers everything from character drama to genre filmmaking.

Best Director mirrors that same competitive spread, with Na Hong Jin (HOPE) and Park Chan Wook (No Other Choice) going head-to-head against Byun Sung Hyun, Yoon Ga Eun, and Jang Hang Jun.

Best Actor is stacked too — Lee Byung Hun (No Other Choice) and Zo In Sung (HOPE) face off against Koo Kyo Hwan, Park Ji Hoon, and Yoo Hae Jin, the latter two both nominated for The King’s Warden.

On the actress side, Son Ye Jin picks up a nomination for No Other Choice, joined by Go Ah Sung, Mun Ka Young, Seo Su Bin, and Yeom Hye Ran — who also appears in the Best Supporting Actress lineup for a different film.

Best Film

• “The Final Semester”
• “People and Meat”
• “The World of Love”
• “No Other Choice”
• “HOPE”

Best Director

• Na Hong Jin (“HOPE”)
• Park Chan Wook (“No Other Choice”)
• Byun Sung Hyun (“Good News”)
• Yoon Ga Eun (“The World of Love”)
• Jang Hang Jun (“The King’s Warden”)

Best Actor

• Koo Kyo Hwan (“Once We Were Us”)
• Park Ji Hoon (“The King’s Warden”)
• Yoo Hae Jin (“The King’s Warden”)
• Lee Byung Hun (“No Other Choice”)
• Zo In Sung (“HOPE”)

Best Actress

• Go Ah Sung (“Pavane”)
• Mun Ka Young (“Once We Were Us”)
• Son Ye Jin (“No Other Choice”)
• Seo Su Bin (“The World of Love”)
• Yeom Hye Ran (“My Name”)

Best Supporting Actor

• Oh Jung Se (“Wild Sing”)
• Yoo Ji Tae (“The King’s Warden”)
• Yoon Kyung Ho (“My Daughter Is a Zombie”)
• Eum Moon Suk (“HOPE”)
• Lee Sung Min (“No Other Choice”)

Best Supporting Actress

• Shin Hyun Been (“The Ugly”)
• Yeom Hye Ran (“No Other Choice”)
• Lee Jung Eun (“My Daughter Is a Zombie”)
• Jang Hye Jin (“The World of Love”)
• Jeon Mi Do (“The King’s Warden”)

Best New Director

• Kim Yoo Min (“Isle Of Snakes”)
• Yoo Jae Wook (“The Gorals”)
• Lee Sang Min (“Salmokji: Whispering Water”)
• Choi Seung Woo (“Last Summer”)
• Han Chang Rok (“Funky Freaky Freaks”)

Best New Actor

• Moon Sang Min (“Pavane”)
• Park Ji Hoon (“The King’s Warden”)
• Yoo Yi Ha (“The Final Semester”)
• Jo Yoo Hyun (“3670”)
• Joo Min Hyeong (“Funky Freaky Freaks”)

Best New Actress

• Seo Su Bin (“The World of Love”)
• Shin Sia (“Even If This Love Disappears from the World Tonight”)
• Lee Seung Yeon (“The Gorals”)
• Jang Da A (“Salmokji: Whispering Water”)
• Jung Ho Yeon (“HOPE”)

Best Screenplay

• Byun Sung Hyun, Lee Jin Sung (“Good News”)
• Yeon Sang Ho (“The Ugly”)
• Yoon Ga Eun (“The World of Love”)
• Lee Ran Hee (“The Final Semester”)
• Lim Na Moo (“People and Meat”)

Best Cinematography

• Kim Woo Hyung (“No Other Choice”)
• Byun Bong Sun (“Colony”)
• Yang Hyun Seok (“HUMINT”)
• Cho Hyoung Rae (“Good News”)
• Hong Kyung Pyo (“HOPE”)

Best Music

• Jo Young Wook (“No Other Choice”)
• Lee Jin Hee (“Wild Sing”)
• Dalpalan (“The King’s Warden”)
• Lee Min Hwi (“Pavane”)
• Michael Abels (“HOPE”)

Best Art & Technical Achievement

• Han Ah Reum (“Good News” / Art)
• Ryu Seong Hee (“No Other Choice” / Art)
• Park Il Hyun (“The People Upstairs” / Art)
• Yoo Sang Seop (“HOPE” / Martial Arts)
• Lee Hoo Kyung (“HOPE” / Art)

Where The Race Gets Interesting

The supporting and newcomer categories are where things get genuinely unpredictable. Best Supporting Actor pits HOPE’s Eum Moon Suk and No Other Choice’s Lee Sung Min against The King’s Warden’s Yoo Ji Tae, while Best New Actress features model-turned-actress Jung Ho Yeon (HOPE) alongside four rising names — Seo Su Bin, Shin Sia, Lee Seung Yeon, and Jang Da A.

Technical categories round things out with equally strong competition. No Other Choice picks up nods for cinematography (Kim Woo Hyung) and music (Jo Young Wook), while HOPE competes across cinematography, music, and two separate art direction categories.

About The Buil Film Awards

First established in 1958, the Buil Film Awards hold the distinction of being South Korea’s oldest domestic film awards, traditionally held alongside the Busan International Film Festival — giving this year’s ceremony extra weight as a showcase for the country’s cinematic output.

When And Where

The 2026 ceremony takes place October 7 at 4:30 p.m. KST in Haeundae, Busan.

For more Korean film and awards season coverage, check out Technosports.

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