Actress Park Bo Young received the "Best Actor Award" at the 8th London Asian Film Festival, marking her eighth award this year.

The 8th London Asian Film Festival, which has consistently introduced Korean cinema to Europe, concluded its 12-day film festival successfully. At the festival's finale, "Concrete Utopia," the closing film, starring Park Bo Young, received the "Best Actor Award," and actor Hong Sa-bin, who was part of the competition section with the film "Hopeless," was selected for the "Rising Star Award."

The 8th London Asian Film Festival, which opened on the 18th, came to an end with the screening of "Concrete Utopia" on the 29th, followed by the awards ceremony. This year's festival, featuring 49 of the latest films from eight Asian countries, including Korea, China, Japan, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, added significance by showcasing a selection of works that symbolize the past, present, and future of Korean cinema. Directors who attended the festival expressed great satisfaction with the theater facilities and the quality of translation services. This reaffirmed the festival's status as a prominent Asian film festival in Europe, not just in the UK.

Park Bo Young was recognized for her performance in "Concrete Utopia" and received the "Best Actor Award." On the red carpet of the closing ceremony, Park Bo Young, surrounded by enthusiastic cheers from British fans, expressed her gratitude and said, "I'm very thankful and honored to receive an award for the first time overseas." She went on to say, "I was amazed by the sound and colors in the screening venue" and expressed her gratitude to the London Asian Film Festival for promoting films better than any other film festival.

Hong Sa-bin, from "Hopeless," won the "Rising Star Award." Standing on the stage, Hong Sa-bin, with a trembling voice, mentioned actor Song Joong Ki, saying, "I'm thankful to senior Song Joong Ki for telling me that 'Hopeless' is my film and to work hard." He conveyed his special appreciation.

This year's festival awards were judged by five critics from the UK Film Critics Association, and the Jury's Special Award was presented to the Japanese film "Amiko."

This year's London Asian Film Festival, which selected "Boys" as the opening film and introduced Korea's representative film, "Concrete Utopia," as the closing film for the first time in the UK, demonstrated strong interest even before the official screening began. The fact that it is the Korean entry for the International Feature Film category at the Academy Awards next year added to the anticipation.

The attendance of director Eom Tae-hwa and Park Bo Young, director Kim Chang-hoon and Hong Sa-bin, and their dialogues with the audience provided a special cultural exchange event where Korean films and K-culture converged. The London Asian Film Festival prepared a special reception to introduce "K-Heritage," along with traditional Korean foods served in porcelain dishes.

In addition, chefs from the Korean Cultural Center created persimmon roll-ups, which were flown to the UK, and presented them to more than 150 British film professionals and local media, confirming that the audience was interested in the film, along with the delicious Korean cuisine.

The 8th London Asian Film Festival, which took a leap forward as a cultural festival where Korean cinema and K-culture merge, plans to select even more diverse and colorful works next year and continue the film festival in the UK