▲ Film director Na Hong-jin wins the Daniel A. Craft Excellence in Action Cinema Award at the New York Asian Film Festival held on July 20, 2026 (local time), for his film, "Hope." (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE)(Yonhap)

SEOUL, July 24 (Yonhap) -- Director Na Hong-jin has won the Daniel A. Craft Excellence in Action Cinema Award at the New York Asian Film Festival for his latest film, "Hope."

Distributor Plus M Entertainment said Friday that Na received the honor at the 25th edition of the festival on Monday (local time).

The Daniel A. Craft Excellence in Action Cinema Award was established in memory of the festival's co-founder and action film enthusiast Daniel Craft, who died in 2013. It is presented to filmmakers who have advanced the art of action cinema.

"Thank you sincerely for the congratulations," Na said. "I'm very happy to receive such a meaningful and prestigious award."

Launched in 2002, the New York Asian Film Festival is one of North America's leading festivals dedicated to Asian films and culture.

This year's event is also holding a retrospective screening of all of Na's feature films, including "The Chaser" (2008), "The Yellow Sea" (2010) and "The Wailing" (2016).

"Hope" was invited to the festival's Centerpiece Presentation section and had its North American premiere on Sunday.

Na took part in a post-screening question-and-answer session with audiences. He also met director Ari Aster, known for "Hereditary" (2018) and "Midsommar" (2019), at the festival and discussed filmmaking, according to the distributor.

"Hope" is a science fiction film about mysterious life forms that arrive at Hopo Port, a harbor village located in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). Hwang Jung-min, Zo In-sung and Jung Ho-yeon play residents of the village, while Hollywood actors Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander and Taylor Russell portray alien characters.

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