South Korean director Lee Hwan’s “Project Y” has won best film in competition at the 10th London East Asia Film Festival. 

According to the event’s executive committee on Tuesday, the film, starring Han So-hee and Jeon Jong-seo, secured the honor at the competition’s closing ceremony in London on Monday. 

The film tells the story of two women who steal stashed black money and gold bars in a bid to escape their dismal reality. 

The competition’s panel of judges said the film places the female perspective at the center of its narrative while dismantling the traditional noir genre. It added that “Project Y” had demonstrated new possibilities for Asian movies by highlighting female subjectivity as the driving force behind ambition, tension, and moral ambiguity. 

During the event's artificial intelligence session, South Korean director Kang Yun-sung’s “Run To The West” won the Future of Asia Cinema Award.