Grand Bell Awards

Overview

The Grand Bell Awards (Daejong Film Awards) are South Korea's oldest continuous film awards, first presented in 1962. Often called the Korean equivalent of the Academy Awards, the ceremony honored excellence in Korean cinema across acting, directing, writing, and technical categories. The awards operated under the Motion Pictures Association of Korea with support from the Korean Film Council (KOFIC) and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The Grand Bell Awards are currently in a period of major transition. The Federation of Korean Filmmakers, which hosted the awards, was declared bankrupt by the Seoul Bankruptcy Court in December 2023. The 60th ceremony was cancelled as a result. In November 2024, the trademark rights to the Daejong Film Festival were put up for sale. In 2025, the trademark and operational rights were officially transferred to the Korea Film Planning Producers Association, marking a new phase for the event. No ceremony has been held since the 59th edition in November 2023.

For Korean filmmakers tracking the awards landscape, the Grand Bell's future remains uncertain. The Blue Dragon Film Awards, operated by the Sports Chosun newspaper, continues as the other major Korean film award. Filmmakers should monitor the Daejong official site for updates on when the awards will resume.

Eligibility and Selection Process

The Grand Bell Awards used a jury-based selection process. Panels of film professionals and critics evaluated eligible domestic releases and selected nominees and winners. For the 59th ceremony, the committee considered all domestic releases (including series) from October 1, 2022 to September 30, 2023.

The awards did not require filmmakers to submit films. All Korean films released within the eligibility window were automatically considered. Nominations were announced in two phases: Best Film nominees first, followed by the remaining categories.

Under the new ownership of the Korea Film Planning Producers Association, the eligibility rules and selection process may change. No updated rules have been published as of July 2026.

Key Categories

The 59th ceremony presented awards in the following categories:

• Best Film
• Best Director
• Best Actor and Best Actress
• Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress
• Best New Actor and Best New Actress
• Best Screenplay
• Best Cinematography
• Best Editing
• Best Art Direction
• Best Music
• Best Sound Effects
• Best Visual Effects
• Best Costume and Makeup
• Most Popular Film - determined by audience vote
• Best Short Film
• Best Planning - recognizing outstanding production planning and execution
• Lifetime Achievement Award

History

The Grand Bell Awards were established in 1962 during a formative period for South Korean cinema. The ceremony tracked the Korean film industry through military government censorship, the democratic opening of the late 1980s, the commercial revival of the 1990s, and the global ascent of Korean cinema in the 21st century.

The 56th ceremony in 2020 honored Parasite with 5 awards including Best Film and Best Director for Bong Joon-ho, cementing the film's historic awards sweep that included the Palme d'Or and 4 Academy Awards. The 58th ceremony in December 2022 awarded Best Film to Park Chan-wook's Decision to Leave, which had won Best Director at Cannes earlier that year.

The 59th ceremony took place on November 15, 2023, at the Gyeonggi Arts Center in Suwon, co-hosted by Cha In-pyo and Jang Do-yeon. It was the first time the ceremony was held outside Seoul. Concrete Utopia won 6 awards including Best Film, Best Actor (Lee Byung-hun), and Best Supporting Actress (Kim Sun-young). Cobweb received the most nominations with 14.

In December 2023, the Federation of Korean Filmmakers was declared bankrupt by the Seoul Bankruptcy Court. The 60th ceremony was cancelled. In November 2024, trademark rights were put up for sale. In 2025, the Korea Film Planning Producers Association acquired the trademark, but no ceremony has been announced.

Business Impact for Filmmakers

A Grand Bell Award historically carried weight in the Korean film industry's funding and distribution ecosystem. The award's association with KOFIC and the Ministry of Culture connected it to the public funding infrastructure that supports Korean film production. Grand Bell recognition could influence future funding decisions and strengthen a filmmaker's position for subsequent projects.

The Grand Bell and Blue Dragon Awards together formed the dual pillars of Korean film recognition. The Blue Dragon is media-industry driven (operated by Sports Chosun), while the Grand Bell carried official cultural authority. Winning both awards in the same year marked a film as a definitive achievement in Korean cinema.

However, the current organizational uncertainty diminishes the award's immediate practical value. Filmmakers should track whether the Korea Film Planning Producers Association can restore the ceremony's credibility and regular schedule. Until then, the Blue Dragon Film Awards and the Baeksang Arts Awards are the more reliable Korean industry awards for building a filmmaker's domestic profile.

For international co-productions involving Korean talent, a Grand Bell win historically signaled quality to international sales agents and festival programmers. Korean cinema's global profile has risen sharply since Parasite's 2020 Academy Award sweep, and any major Korean award carries some weight with international buyers. But the Grand Bell's current hiatus reduces that signal.

Recent Results (59th Grand Bell Awards, November 2023)

• Best Film: Concrete Utopia
• Best Director: Ryoo Seung-wan (Smugglers)
• Best Actor: Lee Byung-hun (Concrete Utopia)
• Best Actress: Kim Seo-hyung (Green House)
• Best Supporting Actor: Oh Jung-se (Cobweb)
• Best Supporting Actress: Kim Sun-young (Concrete Utopia)
• Best New Actor: Kim Seon-ho
• Best New Actress: Kim Si-eun
• Most awards: Concrete Utopia (6)
• Most nominations: Cobweb (14)

Watch

Eligibility Quirks That Trip People Up

• Currently in hiatus with uncertain future: The Grand Bell Awards have not been held since November 2023. The Federation of Korean Filmmakers was declared bankrupt in December 2023, the 60th ceremony was cancelled, and trademark rights were transferred to the Korea Film Planning Producers Association in 2025. No ceremony has been announced, and no updated eligibility rules have been published as of July 2026. Filmmakers cannot currently submit films or plan for Grand Bell recognition.
• Automatic consideration, no submission required: Historically, all Korean films released within the eligibility window were automatically considered. The awards did not require filmmakers to submit films, which is different from most international awards that require active submission. Under the new ownership, this process may change.
• Eligibility window was October to September: For the 59th ceremony, the committee considered all domestic releases (including series) from October 1, 2022 to September 30, 2023. This non-calendar-year window differs from most international awards and means films released in Q4 of the eligibility year are not considered until the following ceremony.
• Most Popular Film is audience-voted: The Most Popular Film category was determined by audience vote, not by the jury. This is the only category with direct public participation, and fan campaigns could influence the outcome. Whether this category will continue under the new ownership is unknown.
• Organizational bankruptcy complicates historical prestige: The Federation of Korean Filmmakers' bankruptcy and the trademark transfer to a new organization mean the Grand Bell Awards' historical prestige may not transfer seamlessly to future ceremonies. Filmmakers and international buyers should monitor whether the Korea Film Planning Producers Association can restore the ceremony's credibility and regular schedule before relying on Grand Bell recognition for distribution or financing decisions.

Prestige Tier

The Grand Bell Awards (Daejong Film Awards) are South Korea's oldest continuous film awards, first presented in 1962. Historically, the Grand Bell and the Blue Dragon Film Awards formed the dual pillars of Korean film recognition, with the Grand Bell carrying official cultural authority through its association with KOFIC and the Ministry of Culture. However, the current organizational uncertainty significantly diminishes the award's immediate practical value. The Blue Dragon Film Awards (operated by Sports Chosun) and the Baeksang Arts Awards are the more reliable Korean industry awards for building a filmmaker's domestic profile as of 2026. The Grand Bell's historical prestige remains: the 56th ceremony honored Parasite with 5 awards including Best Film, and the 58th awarded Best Film to Park Chan-wook's Decision to Leave. But until the Korea Film Planning Producers Association demonstrates it can restore the ceremony's credibility and regular schedule, the Grand Bell's current tier is below the Baeksang and Blue Dragon. For international co-productions involving Korean talent, a Grand Bell win historically signaled quality to international sales agents, but the current hiatus reduces that signal.

See Also

For understanding how Korean cinema fits into international distribution, see Distribution Deals Explained. To model revenue across Asian and global markets, use the Revenue Forecast Calculator. For evaluating the cost of an awards campaign against projected returns, use the Ad Spend Break-Even Calculator.