Seoul International Drama Awards 2025
To mark its 20th anniversary, Seoul International Drama Awards has unveiled the finalists for this year’s International Competition Category. The Seoul Drama Awards Organizing Committee (Chairman Mun-shin Bang) announced that 24 titles and 32 individuals have been nominated in the program and individual categories, respectively, following evaluations of 276 entries from 50 countries and regions by a global panel of judges.
INDIVIDUAL AWARDS
32 globally recognized directors, writers, and actors were nominated. Renowned directors such as Hirokazu Kore-eda from "Asura", Bille August from "The Count of Montecristo", Won-suk Kim from "When Life Gives You Tangerines" and Philip Barantini from "Adolescence" are competing for the top honor. Emerging director Jin-ah Lee from "To My Lonely Sister" also joins the race, drawing attention as a rising talent.
On another note, many nominees include writers recognized at major international awards such as Emmys, including Dan Erickson from "Severance S2", Soo Hugh from "Pachinko S2", Sang-choon Lim from "When Life Gives You Tangerines" and Stephen Graham, winner of the Seoul International Drama Awards 2022, who is nominated for "Adolescence".
In addition, star-studded lineup to participate in the Best Actress category, including Cate Blanchett—known for "The Lord of the Rings", and Korean actresses such as Dami Kim ("Nine Puzzles"), Jung-Young Kim ("My Trouble-Maker Mom"), and Minha Kim ("Pachinko S2") have also advanced to the final round, reaffirming the global status of K-drama.
In the Best Actor category, a fierce competition is set between acclaimed actors including Emmy nominee Adam Scott ("Severance S2") and Owen Cooper ("Adolescence").
PROGRAM AWARDS
A total of 8 titles has been nominated in the Miniseries category, with global OTT platforms such as Netflix and AppleTV+ showing strong dominance. Among the standout selections are "Adolescence"(Netflix), noted for its ambitious all-one-take format; "One Hundred Years of Solitude" (Netflix), based on the novel by Nobel Prize laureate Gabriel García Márquez; "Asura" (Netflix), directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda, and "Pachinko S2" (AppleTV+), which returns after winning 11 international awards.
While the miniseries category is dominated by global OTT platforms, the TV movie category stands out with 4 domestic productions nominated, demonstrating notable success. "To My Lonely Sister" (KBS) and 3 CJ ENM productions, "Our Beautiful Summer", "The Son", and "Unbalanced Love" — have been nominated as finalists, competing against titles such as "Smetana" (Czech Television) and "Champagne – Peppino di Capri" (RAI Radiotelevisione Italiana).
In the Series category, among the 8 finalists are "For Eagle Brothers" (KBS), "The Nightfall" (ATV), "Emerald Hill – The Little Nyonya Story"(Mediacorp),
Supported by the Ministry of Culture, Seoul City, KBS, MBC, SBS, EBS, and CBS, the Seoul International Drama Awards 2025 will announce its final winners in September. The awards ceremony will be broadcast on Thursday, October 2nd, via SBS TV and the official YouTube channel
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