SEOUL – Malaysian actress Koe Yeet has been nominated for the Best Newcomer Actress award at the Asia Contents Awards (ACA), run by the Busan International Film Festival.
The 29-year-old former child star, who is also a barrister, was in the Mediacorp English-language series Titoudao: Inspired By The True Story Of A Wayang Star (2020).
Adapted from a 1994 play by playwright Goh Boon Teck, the 13-part period drama follows the life of wayang icon Ah Chiam, played by Koe.
The story was inspired by Goh’s mother, real-life Chinese opera dowager Oon Ah Chiam.
The ACA said it received a record 163 submissions, including television and online series from 16 countries, almost double the number of submissions last year.
The awards ceremony will be streamed on Oct 7.
Popular South Korean drama Move To Heaven (2021) leads the pack with six nominations, with Lee Je-hoon up for Best Actor and Tang Jun-sang in the running for Best Newcomer Actor.
iQiyi’s Chinese suspense drama series The Long Night (2020) and Netflix’s Japanese sci-fi series Alice In Borderland (2020) are tied with five nominations, including for Best Creative for both shows.
Another K-drama hit, Vincenzo (2021), is up for four awards, including Best Asian TV Series and Best Actor for Song Joong-ki.