The worldwide love for “Squid Game” continues, as the massively hit South Korean survival drama received its first international recognition after winning the Best Breakthrough Series – Long Form from the 2021 Gotham Awards in New York City on Monday, November 29 (US time).
The popular TV series beat other critically-acclaimed shows, including the historical drama “The Good Lord Bird,” British TV miniseries about HIV/AIDS issues titled “It’s a Sin,” British anthology drama about West Indian immigrants titled “Small Axe,” American fantasy historical drama “The Underground Railroad,” and US satirical comedy-drama “The White Lotus.”
Director Hwang Dong-hyuk was present to receive the award at the Cipriano Wall Street in New York City. He was joined by the show’s lead stars Lee Jung-jae and Jung Ho-yeon on stage.
“When I wrote this script 12 years ago in 2009 I did my best but no one liked it – they said it was too violent, absurd, weird,” Hwang Dong-hyuk shared while accepting the award. “It took less than 12 days [after release] to become the Number One show on the planet.”
Lee Jung-jae was also nominated for the Outstanding Performance in a New Series category, but he was bested by “The Good Lord Bird” star Ethan Hawke and “The Underground Railroad” actor Thuso Mbedu.
This is not the first time a South Korean entry was included in the annual Gotham Awards. Last year, actress Youn Yuh-jung was nominated for the Best Actress category for her stellar performance in “Minari,” but the award went to “Miss Juneteenth” star Nicole Beharie.
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