ASIANS RARELY WIN the prestigious Ordre des Artes et des Lettres, the most prestigious cultural award from the French government.
Limiting the victors to the Philippines and South Korea, however, the Philippines has been enjoying dual honors at the roster bestowed in 2008 to Ambeth Ocampo and in 2014 to internationally acclaimed director Brillante Ma. Mendoza while South Korea has a number of awardees of the coveted plum from various fields.
The Orders of Arts and Letters were given to Ocampo (Officer) as a historian and Mendoza (Knight) as a filmmaker.
Recently, Park Chan-Wook (“Old Boy,” “Thirst,” “The Handmaiden,” “Decision to Leave,” among other noteworthy films) was elevated to the Commander tier when he attended the 79th Cannes International Film Festival where he served as Jury Head of the fest.
Chan-Wook was honored with the award last May.
Both Mendoza for “Kinatay (The Execution of P)” (2009) and Chan-Wook “Decision to Leave” (2022) are Palme d’Or Best Director winners.
This time, another Korean film professional is awarded the Ordre des Artes et des Lettres.
This was announced by Shin Chul, Festival Director of the 30th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN), the biggest genre fest in Asia.
According to Chul, BIFAN Programmer Jongsuk Thomas NAM, a friend to a lot of Filipino filmmakers, has been honored with the Chevalier (Knight) of the Order.
The Ordre des Arts et des Lettres is one of the most prestigious cultural honors not only in France but worldwide, consisting of three ranks: Commandeur (Commander), Officier (Officer), and Chevalier (Knight). Previous recipients from the Korean film industry include actress Jeon Do-yeon (Chevalier, 2009), actor Lee Byung-hun (Chevalier, 2006), director Bong Joon-ho (Officier, 2015), and director Kim Jee-woon (Officier, 2018).
More recently, director Chan-wook drew significant attention by being elevated to the rank of Commandeur.
Programmer NAM’s decoration holds profound significance as he becomes the first film festival programmer in Korea to receive the honor.
Throughout his career at BIFAN, the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF), and the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema (NETPAC), NAM has dedicated himself to expanding the horizons of genre cinema and fostering international exchange.
Notably, he played a pivotal role in strengthening cinematic ties between Korea and France through the “Focus: France” program which was successfully launched at BIFAN’s NAFF Project Market during its 29th edition in 2025.
In recognition of these contributions, the French government officially decided to confer the honor upon him in October 2025.
Philippe Bertoux, Ambassador of France to the Republic Korea, conveyed his congratulations, stating, “The career of Programmer Nam has been a journey of opening new horizons and presenting innovative perspectives. Through this medal, I wish to express my deepest gratitude and respect for his outstanding achievements and dedication to the advancement of cinema.”
Nam began his career in film as an assistant director on “Jungle Story” (1996).
Since 1997, he has served in various capacities at BIFF, including coordinating the Kim Kiyoung Retrospective, festival coordinator, and senior coordinator of the Pusan Promotion Plan (PPP).
Subsequently, Pusan was renamed to Busan.
After serving as general secretary of NETPAC, he joined BIFAN in 2007 as a programmer and managing director of NAFF.
Beyond Korea, NAM has been active internationally as a nomination advisor for the Sitges FanPitch (Spain) and the Asian Film Awards (Hong Kong), a juror for Ventana Sur Fantastic! (Argentina), a mentor for the Taipei Film Academy (Taiwan), and a curator of “After Dark” at MAMI Mumbai Film Festival (India).
Most recently, he was appointed as the first Korean feature film juror at the Overlook Film Festival, one of North America’s leading horror film festivals.
The investiture ceremony for Nam’s Chevalier distinction will take place at the Opening Ceremony of the 30th BIFAN on July 2 with the French Ambassador in attendance.
Celebrating its 30th edition this year, BIFAN will be held throughout Bucheon from July 2 to July 12.