It's time to honor some of this year's best television actors on the upcoming 15th Seoul International Drama Awards. On August 6, the Seoul International Drama Awards Organizing Committee headed by Chairman Sung-jae Park released its list of nominees including 28 dramas and 26 individual candidates.
The SDA committee highlighted dramas that feature diversity, unconventional female characters, short-form contents and striking performances. There were 212 dramas from 41 countries, and 8 entries are nominated for this year.
Amongst all categories, the one that people look forward to the most is the program category which includes TV Movies, Mini-series and Serial Dramas. Four short-form categories which was newly-established this year are also included. This year's SDA have 7 nominees in the Individual Category of Best Director, 6 nominees for Best Screenwriter, Best Actors, and 7 nominees for Best Actresses.
Category for Introduction Of Short-Form Contents
SDA included short-form contents this year, giving importance to short-form series which are popular among the younger generation who are accustomed to mobile devices rather than TV. They received a total of 37 short-form drama submission, which included "I Have 3 Boyfriends," "Rumor," "XX," and "18h30".
Recognition for Remarkable Unconventional Female Leads
SDA also highlighted this year's lead female roles that gained much attention from viewers. This includes KBS' mini-series "When the Camellia Blooms," wherein the female lead character named Dong Baek showed strong and unwavering determination to succeed against the people of Ongsan village.
Such female character can also be seen in the German short drama "Ottilie Von Faber-Castell." A true to life story in Germany during the 19th century. A lady named Ottilie works hard to succeed in business in a male-dominated business world.
The Importance of Diverse Stories
Around the world, stories revolve on different concepts therefore SDA's 2020 nominees acknowledge the importance of diversity. Ranging from true-to-life stories about family, war, and refugees to fiction, they have a variety of nominees for each category.
The romance movie based on a true story, "22 July," was also nominated. It is set in Norway during the attacks in Oslo Bolivar. The movie's plot revolves around the legendary story of Bolivar and manuelita.
Another drama worth mentioning is the Brazilian drama "Orphans of a Nation" which tells the narrative of a Syrian refugee Lyla, Germany's "The Turncoat," Spain's entry "Exodus," and U.K's "World on Fire," which all feature stories of living amidst a war.
To add on the list are family-oriented stories from different countries like Germany's "Because You're Mine" and "Grumpy Olaf," Korea's "Human Luwak," and Taiwan's "My Father's Words."
Popularity Rise of Korean Dramas
This year, out of the 28 nominees for the Program Category, nine came from South Korea.
The nominees include the KBS mini-series "When the Camellia Blooms'," SBS's "Hot Stove League," tvN's "Crash Landing On You," and JTBC "Itaewon Class."
Recognition for Foreign Drama of the Year Showing K-Content Stature
SDA also included foreign dramas which received love and attention for showing Korean content. The nominees included on the list are "Snowpiercer" produced by U.S. broadcasting company TNT and distributed by ITV Studios, and the Philippine remake of "Descendants of the Sun" produced by GMA Network.
"Snowpiercer" is a series originally written in Korean which has reached the U.S. market and was well-accepted by the western viewers. It is selected as "The Most Popular Foreign Drama of the Year" with worldwide acclaim.
The SDA committee also selected the Philippine version of "Descendants of the Sun" among several remakes that originated from KBS network which was aired in South Korea in 2016.
Due to the safety and health concerns, the 15th Seoul International Drama Awards will be held on September 10 at the MBC Media Center Public without live audience. However, the ceremony will be held via live streaming followed by MBC's recorded airing at 3 PM on September 15.
