Song Joong-ki, Song Hye-Kyo Starrer ‘Descendants Of The Sun’ Win Big At International Film Festival
The awards honoring Song Joong-ki, Song Hye-kyo, and the Descendants of the Sun crew seem to be never-ending.
The 2016 Korean military romance grabbed another prestigious award at the 50th WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival. The Song Joong-ki, Song Hye-kyo starrer won the special jury award for displaying originality and meritorious performance.
Descendants of the Sun ranked among Google’s Top 10 for 2016. Although the show aired on KBS2 in South Korea, its popularity scaled new heights in Asia. Soon, fans in Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Taiwan, and China were glued to their screens, be it on television, computer, or smartphones. The show recently aired in India and met with a huge success.
WorldFest-Houston is the only film festival with ten major competition categories, not just shorts and features like most festivals.
“We have more than 200 sub-categories, so a small Indie documentary does not have to compete with a National Geographic Special. Each year, we receive more than 4,500 category entries, and only about 15 percent of total entries actually win a Remi Award. Since we did give first honors to Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Ang Lee, John Lee Hancock, Randal Kleiser and the Coen Brothers, the winners of this year could well become the Spielbergs or Ang Lees of tomorrow. We present only one Grand Remi Award to the top winner in each of the major ten categories,” the company said.
Congrates #SongSongCouple from #DOTS on Winning "Special Jury Awards 2017 "50th WorldFest-Houston Int'FilmFestival. pic.twitter.com/hesjwaZ1Tq
— June _06? (@HuneyJArsenal) May 2, 2017
The epic adventure for the Descendants of the Sun crew began in February 2015. After a spectacular success of Heirs in 2013, South Korean screenwriter Kim Eun-sook was ready for her next big Korean romance. She let her imagination run wild for Descendants of the Sun, a military drama that changed the face of Hallyu entertainment.
The script for Descendants of the Sun was simple, yet cinematic. It was a perfect blend of rhyme and rhythm. All that was left to do was find a solid cast of actors who would bring her script to life.
As fate would have it, it was during this time actor Song Joong-ki was discharged from his mandatory military service. After a several rounds of discussions with the writers and directors, the charming Song Joong-ki was chosen to play the lead in Descendants of the Sun.
He was cast alongside actress Song Hye-kyo, who was also making a comeback to television after two years. In 2013, the talented actress played the lead in the K-drama That Winter, The Wind Blows. In 2014 and 2015, Song Hye-kyo made a name for herself on the big screen when she starred in two Chinese movies, The Crossing and The Queen.
In 2016, Song Hye-kyo played Song Joong-ki’s love interest Dr. Kang Mo-yeon in Descendants of the Sun.
The pairing of Song Joong-ki and Song Hye-kyo was magical. When fans first caught a glimpse of the “SongSong couple,” they were spellbound. Their onscreen chemistry turned a simple love story into an epic romance.
Kim Woo Taek, CEO of New Entertainment, who produced Descendants of the Sun, lauded the performance of Song Joong-ki and Song Hye-kyo.
Reminiscing the time he cast the SongSong Couple, he said, “Song Joong-ki had just returned from the mandatory military duty. He could have opted to choose other roles. But he readily agreed to this one. I am glad that Song Hye-kyo too agreed despite her schedule. Because of them, I never thought about other possible actor and actress, They are the best team ever.”
The hard work and effort put in by the cast and crew have paid off. Now, fans can’t wait to see Song Joong-ki and Song Hye-kyo reprise their roles in the rumored Season 2 of Descendants of the Sun.
Besides Descendants of the Sun, Park Bo-gum starrer Moonlight Drawn by Clouds and W-Two Worlds Apart also bagged awards at the 50th WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival.
See the complete list of winners here.
[Featured Image by Ahn Young-joon/AP Images]
