'Escape From Mogadishu' sweeps Blue Dragon Film Awards

"Escape From Mogadishu," an action film by director Ryoo Seung-wan, won six prizes including the Best Picture Award at the 42nd annual Blue Dragon Film Awards, one of Korea's major film honors. The awards ceremony, hosted by actors Kim Hye-soo and..

Actors Kim Hye-soo, left, and Yoo Yeon-seok, hosts of the 42nd annual Blue Dragon Film Awards, walk the red carpet for the awards ceremony held at KBS Hall in western Seoul on Friday night. [YONHAP]

“Escape From Mogadishu,” an action film by director Ryoo Seung-wan, won six prizes including the Best Picture Award at the 42nd annual Blue Dragon Film Awards, one of Korea’s major film honors.

The awards ceremony, hosted by actors Kim Hye-soo and Yoo Yeon-seok, was held at KBS Hall in western Seoul on Friday night.

“Escape From Mogadishu” is based on the true story of stranded North and South Korean embassy workers who came together to escape the Somali Civil War in Mogadishu in 1991.

The film also won the Best Director Award for Ryu, Best Supporting Actor Award for Huh Joon-ho, Best Production Design Award for Kim Bo-Mook, Popular Star Award for actor Koo Kyo-hwan and Largest Audience Award.

The movie has pulled in 3.6 million viewers, according to its distributor Lotte Entertainment, despite the severe impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the film industry.

The movie tells the story of how the embassies of the two Koreas, which had been competing to win approval from the Somali government to be admitted to the United Nations from the late 1980s, band together to escape the country in the midst of chaos as a civil war breaks out in Somalia in 1991.

Actors Seol Kyung-gu, left, and Moon So-ri, the winners of the Best Actor and Best Actress Awards at the 42nd annual Blue Dragon Film Awards. [JOONGANG ILBO]

The black-and-white historical film "The Book of Fish" won five prizes including the Best Actor Award for Seol Kyung-gu and Best Screenplay Award for Kim Se-gyeom.

Moon So-ri and Kim Sun-young from the drama film "Three Sisters" won the Best Lead and Supporting Actress Awards, respectively.

BY MOON SO-YOUNG [moon.soyoung@joongang.co.kr]