Industry

Norwegian drama A Better Man emerged as the evening's biggest winner, taking home three awards, including the Grand Prize. Thomas Seeberg Torjussen received Best Screenwriter, while Anders Baasmo was named Best Actor. The series follows Tom, a middle-aged man who spreads misogynistic hate online and is forced into hiding disguised as a woman after his identity is exposed. Exploring online hatred, gender conflict and social isolation, the drama had already collected three awards at CANNESERIES 2025, including Best Series and Best Performance.

Apple TV's science-fiction drama Pluribus also enjoyed a successful night, winning Best Miniseries, with creators Vince Gilligan and Gordon Smith sharing the Best Director award. Created by Gilligan, best known for Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, the series follows the world's unhappiest woman as she attempts to save humanity from a society where everyone else has become happy. The production was also recognised at the 2026 Primetime Emmy Awards, where Rhea Seehorn received Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series and Gilligan won Outstanding Writing.

Korean productions secured major recognition in the International Competition, with My Royal Nemesis and The Dream Life of Mr. Kim both winning Best Miniseries.
My Royal Nemesis, a fantasy romantic comedy that reached No. 1 on Netflix's Global Non-English TV chart, follows a woman branded a villain during the Joseon dynasty who awakens in contemporary Seoul and attempts to change her destiny. Its leading actress, Lim Ji-yeon, also received the Outstanding Korean Actress award.

The Dream Life of Mr. Kim, produced by SLL, explores the challenges of a longtime corporate employee confronting restructuring, generational change and the need to redefine his identity. Lead actor Ryu Seung-ryong received the Best Actor award for his performance.
In the K-Drama Competition, SLL's The Dream Life of Mr. Kim and We Are All Trying Here were named Outstanding Korean Drama. Koo Kyo-hwan, internationally known for D.P. and Parasyte: The Grey, won Outstanding Korean Actor for We Are All Trying Here. Meanwhile, ANTON of RIIZE received the fan-voted Outstanding Korean Drama OST award for Close to Me, featured in Yumi's Cells 3.

International productions from Europe and Asia also featured prominently among the winners. Germany's Disclosure received Best TV Movie for its exploration of organised crime, abuse of power and far-right extremism, inspired by the unsolved 2007 murder of police officer Michèle Kiesewetter.

Taiwanese mystery romance Had I Not Seen the Sun, from the creative team behind Someday or One Day, was named Best Series. The drama follows a documentary production assistant interviewing a convicted serial killer, gradually uncovering long-buried secrets.
Greece's The Child also received Best Series, combining realism and surrealism in the story of a young man on the autism spectrum and his caregiver seeking refuge in a remote village.
Spain's Unfiltered won Best Short Form for its examination of digital identity and the dangers facing young people online, while Czech actress Elizaveta Maximová received Best Actress for her performance in Mom, portraying a young mother with an intellectual disability struggling to rebuild her life with her daughter.

The ceremony also celebrated the growing popularity of Asian drama stars through the fan-voted Outstanding Asian Star awards. The seven winners were JAEMIN (Wind Up) and JISOO (Boyfriend on Demand) from South Korea; Yang Yang (The Immortal Ascension) from China; Jin Akanishi (Romantic Anonymous) from Japan; Paulo Avelino (The Alibi) from the Philippines; Rebecca Patricia Armstrong (Girl From Nowhere: The Reset) from Thailand; and Gladys Bay (Under The Net) from Singapore.

The full list of winners is available on the official Seoul International Drama Awards website.

photo: Marilena Tesoro/Formatbiz