Singer-actor Lee Hye-ri has won the Rising Star Award at the 2024 New York Asian Film Festival for her performance in the coming-of-age film “Victory.” The festival, which kicked off on July 12, runs until July 28.
“Victory” had its world premiere at the 23rd NYAFF, opening the festival held at New York’s Lincoln Center. In the movie set in 1999, Lee plays Pil-sun, a high school student who creates a cheerleading group to gain access to the school’s dance room.
![CELEB] Hyeri mulls lead role in new cheer squad film 'Victory'](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2022/10/24/acf970c2-b63d-4665-bbe5-7c055e502961.jpg)
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This film marks Lee’s return to the silver screen after a five-year hiatus following her role in the 2019 sports comedy “My Punch-Drunk Boxer.” Lee has also starred in several hit TV dramas such as “My Roommate Is Gumiho,” “Moonshine,” and “May I Help You?”
“I’m so overwhelmed and honored to receive this award. I believe I’m getting the award on behalf of the actors who worked with me,” Lee said as she accepted the award. Fellow actor Park Se-wan and director Park Beom-soo joined her on stage to celebrate. Park Se-wan plays Pil-sun’s soulmate Mina in “Victory.”
Lee shared that she began practicing speaking in dialect three months before shooting to perfectly portray Pil-sun, along with eight to nine hours of dance practice sessions with Park Se-wan.
“Victory” is inspired by a news article that director Park Beom-soo read in 1986 about a small cheerleading club on a small island in South Gyeongsang Province, the year Seoul hosted the Asian Games. The film incorporates music and dance trends from 1999.
Established in 2002 by New York’s Subway Cinema, the NYAFF is known for programming Asian movies for a broad audience. “Victory” is set to open in South Korea on August 14.
