Kim Min-hee won best performance at the Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland for her acting in Hong Sang-soo’s new film “By the Stream.”

The Swiss film festival presented Kim with the award on Saturday.

After the 42-year-old actor’s name was announced at the awards ceremony, Kim said, “I’m grateful to all the passersby who gave me warm words.”

She added, “(Hong), thank you for making such a beautiful film. I love your movies so much. Thank you for allowing me to work with you. I hope everyone is happy.”

“By the Stream” is Hong’s 32nd film. Known for his low-budget productions, the director collaborated on this project with Kim, with whom he previously had an extramarital affair.

Kim first appeared in Hong’s 2015 film “Right Now, Wrong Then” and has since appeared in 15 of the director’s films, including “By the Stream.”

“By the Stream” tells the story of Jeonim, a college lecturer, who asks her uncle to direct a theatrical skit. In the director’s notes, Hong described his film 스포츠 as “much is being said about many different things, while Jeonim sits by a stream and tries to sketch and grasp the patterns of that stream.”

“I wanted to shoot for longer. Five days was too short. That short time was happy and very enjoyable. I’m grateful,” Kim added.

The Locarno Film Festival, founded in 1946, is an annual event that takes place every August.

Hong has consistently stood out at this prestigious film festival. In 2015, he won the festival’s top prize, the Golden Leopard, for “Right Now, Wrong Then,” and one of its lead actors, Jung Jae-young, won best actor.

This year’s Golden Leopard went to “Toxic,” a debut film by Lithuanian director Saule Bliuvaite. The organizer described “Toxic” as a work that shows an incisive portrayal of teenage girls and the crushing expectations imposed upon them.

“By the Stream” is scheduled to be released in Korea later this year.