Korean Star Lee Byung-hun Honored with Tribute Award at TIFF 2025

This year, acclaimed Korean actor Lee Byung-hun will be the center of attention at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). Not only will he be accompanying his latest film, Park Chan-wook's comic thriller "No Other Choice," but he will also be honored with one of the festival's prestigious Tribute Awards.

Lee's rise to international stardom was already evident in 2016 when he visited TIFF as part of the diverse cast, including Denzel Washington, Ethan Hawke, and Chris Pratt, for the director Antoine Fuqua's remake of "The Magnificent Seven." Fuqua was impressed by Lee's performance as a hitman in the 2005 film "A Bittersweet Life" and knew he wanted him for his neo-Western. In the film, Lee and Hawke's characters developed a close rapport, with Lee joking that his wife, actress Lee Min-jung, was a big fan of Hawke.

As Lee makes his way along the red carpet at TIFF 2025, he will undoubtedly be the center of attention, both for his latest film and the well-deserved Tribute Award that recognizes his remarkable career and contributions to the global film industry.