Netflix’s ‘Time to Hunt,’ ‘Kingdom’ nominated for Baeksang Arts Awards

A Korean film and series released via streaming service Netflix -- “Time to Hunt” and season two of “Kingdom,” respectively -- have been nominated for the Baeksang Arts Awards, set to take place in June.

This is the first time that Netflix releases have been nominated for the annual Baeksang Arts Awards.

This year’s nominees were chosen among TV programs, films and plays presented between April 1, 2019 and April 30 this year.

On Friday, the second season of “Kingdom” was nominated in the category for best TV drama. The Netflix original series is a zombie mystery thriller set in the Joseon era. It was written by star screenwriter Kim Eun-hee, who has created hit TV series here including “Sign” (2011) and “Signal” (2016).

KBS hit TV series “When the Camellia Blooms,” tvN’s “Crash Landing on You,” SBS’ “Hot Stove League” and “Hyena” are other nominees in the category.

“Time to Hunt” is a dystopian action-thriller from director Yoon Sung-hyun.

The film’s Lee Je-hoon will compete in the best actor category, while Park Hae-soo will compete for best new actor.

The movie was originally due to open in local theaters in late February, following its world premiere at the 2020 Berlin International Film Festival’s special gala section. However, the cinematic release was canceled after its opening was put on indefinite hold due to the COVID-19 outbreak, and it was released exclusively through the streaming platform.

Meanwhile, multiple-Oscar-winning film “Parasite” has been nominated in all the movie-related categories, including best film -- barring the category for best new director.

Song Kang-ho, who played the father of a down-and-out family in “Parasite,” is nominated for the best actor, while Cho Yeo-jeong, who played the mother of the rich family vies for best actress.

This year has seen more categories for those who work in the theater industry. Three new categories -- for best play, actor and actress -- have been added to the existing best short play prize.

The Baeksang Arts Awards will be held on June 5 at Kintex in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province. Due to the ongoing pandemic, the ceremony will be held without an audience.

By Song Seung-hyun (ssh@heraldcorp.com)