Park Chan-wook Praises Longtime Friend Lee Byung-hun at TIFF Special Tribute Award Ceremony

By Jeeyoung, Jo

Sep 11, 2025

Park Chan-wook Praises Longtime Friend Lee Byung-hun at TIFF Special Tribute Award Ceremony



Actor Lee Byung-hun won the Special Tribute Award for his contribution to film development at the 50th Toronto International Film Festival.

Director Park Chan-wook stepped up to present Lee Byung-hun's Special Tribute Award. Director Park Chan-wook said, 'Lee Byung-hun, who has been friends for 26 years, was amazed whenever he saw various characters in numerous movies and dramas. He is a clumsy and playful naughty girl in ordinary life, but it is hard to believe how he became such a great actor. My research results are as follows. The extraordinary nature revealed in his acting is based on a deep understanding of human mediocrity. He is more humble and simple than anyone else, so the possible insight gives the character in the work a unique flavor. We could call this 'extraordinary mediocrity'. Congratulations once again. "Extraordinary Byung-hun..." he praised.

Lee Byung-hun "Director Park, thank you for your warm words. Congratulations on the 50th anniversary of the Toronto Film Festival. This is my fifth time attending TIFF this year, and I'm very proud to be with you even a small part of this great film festival." "I started acting in a TV drama 35 years ago, but I always had a love for movies in my heart."Director Park Chan-wook's 『JSA" in 2000 finally achieved his dream of appearing in a box office movie," he recalled.




Also "Now, with the director, there's nothing we can do about the new movie "be deeply moved to present ' The first story I heard 15 years ago is now getting life on the screen, and I believe it's a must-see story. I hope you will be able to meet the audience with works that you will see 'inevitably' in the future.

Finally, he said, `This award is not just for myself, but I will humbly accept it as recognition of the proud achievements and growth that Korean culture has made all over the world so far," he said, concluding with a feeling of admiration and humility.

Park Chan-wook Praises Longtime Friend Lee Byung-hun at TIFF Special Tribute Award Ceremony
Park Chan-wook Praises Longtime Friend Lee Byung-hun at TIFF Special Tribute Award Ceremony
On the one hand, Lee Byung-hun and Park Chan-wook's awards and awards feel like a response to the moment when director Park Chan-wook was honored at the LACMA Art+Film Gala in 2022. At that time, Lee Byung-hun drew attention by unraveling his relationship with director Park with his witty remarks. In this way, Lee Byung-hun continued his long friendship and companionship with director Park Chan-wook and worked together for the third time after the Joint Security Area JSA(00) and 'Three, Monster(04)Through ', he played Mansu, a job seeker who was fired overnight from a paper mill for 25 years and prepared to re-employment, delicately portraying the complex inner side of a person who was pushed to the edge of a cliff to protect his family and life.

Lee Byung-hun's passionate performance 'I can't help it' was invited to the 82nd Venice International Film Festival competition section and received a standing ovation for 9 minutes, as well as enthusiastically acclaimed by foreign media and critics, and is set to be unveiled for the first time in Asia as the opening film of the 30th Busan International Film Festival. In addition, at this TIFF, it is officially invited to the North American Gala Presentation Division and the 63rd New York Film Festival Main Slate Division, drawing expectations from the domestic and foreign film industry.








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