Veteran actor Youn Yuh-jung and her movie “Minari,” directed by Lee Isaac Chung, appear set for smooth sailing to the 2021 Academy Awards.

Local movie distributor Pan Cinema announced Monday that Youn won an award for best supporting actress from the Boston Society of Film Critics for her role in “Minari.”

Composer Emile Mosseri also won an award for best original score for his music in Lee’s movie.

Since the film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January and won both the audience and US dramatic competition prizes, it has been seen as a strong contender for the Oscars. The movie and its cast continued winning awards from film festivals across the US, including the Middleburg Film Festival and Denver Film Festival.

Local movie distributor Pan Cinema highlighted that as the runner-up for best supporting actress was Amanda Seyfried of “Mank,” which is thought to also be in the running for 2021 Oscar nominations, Youn’s win raises hopes for her first Oscar nomination in acting as well.

The 2021 Academy Awards are scheduled for April 25, and nominees will be announced March 15.

Directed by the Korean American auteur, “Minari” depicts a story of a first-generation South Korean immigrant family of four -- dad Jacob (Steven Yeun), mom Monica (Han Ye-ri), son David (Alan S. Kim) and daughter Anne (Noel Kate Cho). In the movie, the family gets a fresh start in rural Arkansas in pursuit of the American dream. Youn plays the grandmother, Soon-ja, who comes to America to live with Jacob’s family.

Formed in 1981, the Boston Society of Film Critics is a group of 26 film critics and journalists from Boston that selects its favorite films and performances annually.

“Minari” will be released in local theaters in early 2021.

By Song Seung-hyun (ssh@heraldcorp.com)