Choi Dong-hoon (Korean: 최동훈; born February 24, 1971) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. He ranks as one of the most consistently successful directors working in contemporary Korean cinema, with all first five of his films becoming commercial hits -- The Big Swindle attracted 2.12 million viewers, Tazza: The High Rollers at 6.84 million, Jeon Woo-chi: The Taoist Wizard at 6.13 million, The Thieves at 12.9 million, and Assassination at 12.7 million.[1]
Choi Dong-hoon | |
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| Born | February 24, 1971 Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, South Korea |
| Education | Sogang University - B.A. in Korean Language and Literature Korean Academy of Film Arts - Filmmaking |
| Occupation(s) | Film director, screenwriter |
| Years active | 1998–present |
| Spouse | Ahn Soo-hyun (film producer) |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 최동훈 |
| Revised Romanization | Choe Donghun |
| McCune–Reischauer | Ch'oe Tonghun |
Career
editAfter graduating from the prestigious Korean Academy of Film Arts, Choi Dong-hoon first worked as an assistant director on Im Sang-soo's Tears (he subsequently appeared in acting cameos in several of Im's films).[2]
After working on the screenplay for two years, Choi made his feature film directorial debut in 2004 with The Big Swindle and single-handedly re-imagined the heist and crime thriller genre into something uniquely Korean. His follow-up Tazza: The High Rollers, a gambling flick adapted from Huh Young-man and Kim Se-yeong's manhwa, was the second highest grossing Korean film of 2006, and producer/Sidus FNH CEO Cha Seung-jae praised Choi as "a genius storyteller for his spectacular ability to develop elaborate stories." 2009's Jeon Woo-chi: The Taoist Wizard was lauded as the first Korean fantasy/superhero blockbuster movie, earning Choi a reputation as an artistically innovative and commercially successful writer-director.[3]
He returned to the heist genre in 2012 with the star-studded crime caper The Thieves,[4] which attracted almost 13 million viewers in 70 days to become the second all-time highest grossing movie in Korean film history.[5][6][7][8] Tazza and Thieves leading lady Kim Hye-soo described him as "a genius who also works extremely hard. I think he knows who he is, the exact kind of films that he wants to make, and how to make them."[2]
Choi made his first period film with 2015's Assassination, about freedom fighters during Japan's colonial rule, and it was once again a box office hit, crossing the 10 million admissions milestone on the 70th anniversary of South Korean independence.[9][10]
In 2017, Choi began production on his next film Wiretap, a remake of the 2009 Hong Kong film Overheard.[11] However, production was halted so Kim Woo Bin could undergo treatment for cancer.[12] At the end of 2019, the director was then reported to be working on a two-part science fiction film.[13] The first part titled Alienoid which depicts a story unfolding as the door of time open between late Goryeo and the present day, when aliens appear, was released in July 2022.[14]
Filmography
editAs director
edit- A Short Trip (short film, director; 2000)
- The Big Swindle (director, screenwriter; 2004)
- Tazza: The High Rollers (director, screenwriter; 2006)
- Jeon Woo-chi: The Taoist Wizard (director, screenwriter; 2009)
- The Thieves (director, screenwriter; 2012)
- Assassination (director, screenwriter, producer; 2015)
- Alienoid (director, screenwriter, producer; 2022)
- Alienoid: Return to the Future (director, screenwriter, producer; 2024)
- Wiretap (director, screenwriter; TBA)
Other
edit- Tears (assistant director, cameo; 2000)
- A Good Lawyer's Wife (cameo; 2003)
- Boy Goes to Heaven (screenwriter; 2005)
- The President's Last Bang (cameo; 2005)
- The Restless (screenwriter; 2006)
Awards
edit| Year | Award | Category | Recipients | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 3rd Korean Film Awards | Best New Director | The Big Swindle | Won |
| Best Screenplay | Won | |||
| 2004 | 25th Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best New Director | Won | |
| Best Screenplay | Won | |||
| 2004 | 7th Director's Cut Awards | Best New Director | Won | |
| 2004 | 24th Korean Association of Film Critics Awards | Best New Director | Won | |
| 2004 | 41st Grand Bell Awards | Best New Director | Won | |
| Best Screenplay | Won | |||
| 2005 | 2005 SBS Gayo Daejeon | Music Video of the Year | MV | Won |
| 2006 | 14th Chunsa Film Art Awards | Best Film | Tazza: The High Rollers | Nominated |
| Best Director | Nominated | |||
| 2006 | 27th Blue Dragon Film Awards[15] | Best Film | Nominated | |
| Best Director | Nominated | |||
| 2007 | 43rd Baeksang Arts Awards | Grand Prize (Daesang) | Won | |
| Best Film | Nominated | |||
| Best Director | Won | |||
| 2007 | 8th Newport Beach Film Festival[16] | Best Feature | Won | |
| Best Director | Won | |||
| 2007 | 44th Grand Bell Awards | Best Director | Nominated | |
| 2007 | 8th Busan Film Critics Awards | Best Screenplay | Won | |
| 2007 | 6th Korean Film Awards | Best Film | Nominated | |
| Best Director | Nominated | |||
| Best Screenplay | Won | |||
| 2012 | Best Director | The Thieves | Nominated | |
| Buil Readers' Jury Award | Won | |||
| 2012 | Best Director | Nominated | ||
| 2012 | Best Film | Nominated | ||
| Best Director | Nominated | |||
| Best Screenplay[a] | Nominated | |||
| Audience Choice Award for Most Popular Film | Won | |||
| 2012 | 20th Korean Culture and Entertainment Awards[19]
|
Best Film | Won | |
| 2013 | Best Director | Nominated | ||
| 2015 | 24th Buil Film Awards | Best Film | Assassination | Nominated |
| Best Director | Nominated | |||
| 2015 | Best Film | Nominated | ||
| Best Director | Nominated | |||
| Top 10 Films of the Year | Won | |||
| 2015 | 52nd Grand Bell Awards | Best Film | Nominated | |
| Best Director | Nominated | |||
| Best Screenplay[a] | Nominated | |||
| 2015 | 36th Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best Film | Won | |
| Best Director | Nominated | |||
| Best Screenplay[a] | Nominated | |||
| 2016 | 52nd Baeksang Arts Awards | Best Film | Won | |
| Best Director | Nominated | |||
| Best Screenplay[a] | Nominated | |||
| 2015 | 21st Chunsa Film Art Awards | Best Director | Won | |
| Best Screenplay[a] | Nominated | |||
| 2015 | 11th Max Movie Awards | Best Film | Nominated | |
| Best Director | Nominated | |||
| Best Poster | Nominated |
See also
editNotes
editReferences
edit- ^ Park Hyung-ki; Won Ho-jung (August 16, 2015). "Film auteur Choi sets milestones with well-crafted plots, dialogues". The Korea Herald. Archived from the original on 2015-08-23. Retrieved 2015-08-23.
- ^ a b Lee, Claire (21 August 2012). "Newsmaker: Director Choi Dong-hun steals show with The Thieves". The Korea Herald. Archived from the original on 2023-01-18. Retrieved 2012-11-21.
- ^ "CHOI Dong-hoon". Korean Film Biz Zone. Archived from the original on 2012-06-06. Retrieved 2012-06-27.
- ^ "The Caper Film King Is Back with The Thieves - CHOI DONG-HOON". Korean Cinema Today. 10 May 2012. Archived from the original on 2012-06-28. Retrieved 2012-11-21.
- ^ "The Thieves Takes Box Office by Storm with Nearly 10 Million Viewers". The Chosun Ilbo. 14 August 2012. Archived from the original on 2012-11-23. Retrieved 2012-11-21.
- ^ Kwaak, Je-yup (23 July 2012). "'Actor and director are like husband and wife'". The Korea Times. Archived from the original on 27 July 2012. Retrieved 2012-11-21.
- ^ Cho, Jae-eun (12 June 2012). "The Thieves all-star cast set to steal show". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on June 17, 2012. Retrieved 2012-11-21.
- ^ "The Thieves now 2nd top-selling Korean film". The Korea Herald. 31 August 2012. Archived from the original on 2023-01-18. Retrieved 2012-11-21.
- ^ Baek, Byung-yeul (23 June 2015). "Thieves director returns with thriller". The Korea Times. Archived from the original on 2015-08-02. Retrieved 2015-08-28.
- ^ Lee, Hyo-won (18 August 2015). "South Korea Box Office: Local Action Movie Assassination On Top, Becomes Biggest Film of 2015". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 2015-08-21. Retrieved 2015-08-16.
- ^ "Kim Woo-bin considers joining Wiretap's cast full of Thieves and Assassins". dramabeans.com. 4 April 2017. Archived from the original on 2019-01-24. Retrieved 2019-01-23.
- ^ "Kim Woo Bin puts all his projects on hold to concentrate completely on treatment". International Business Times. 6 July 2017. Archived from the original on 2019-01-24. Retrieved 2019-01-23.
- ^ "Blockbuster Director Choi Dong-hoon to Return with a 2-Part Sci-Fi Film". Asian Movie Pulse. 19 October 2019. Archived from the original on 2021-01-30. Retrieved 2011-01-25.
- ^ "Choi Dong-hoon's 'Alienoid Part 1' to hit theaters on July 20". Korea JoongAng Daily. 2022-06-13. Archived from the original on 2023-04-18. Retrieved 2022-06-23 – via Naver.
- ^ "The War of Flower - Awards". Cinemasie.com. Archived from the original on 2011-05-25. Retrieved 2012-10-02.
- ^ "Newport Beach Film Festival Newport Beach, USA 2007 Awards". IMDb. Archived from the original on 2023-09-24. Retrieved 2023-05-12.
- ^ Lee, Claire (30 October 2012). "Gwanghae sweeps Daejong Film Awards". The Korea Herald. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
- ^ Ji, Yong-jin (4 December 2012). "PIETA Wins Best Picture at Blue Dragon Awards". Korean Film Council. Archived from the original on 2016-03-07. Retrieved 2012-12-04.
- ^ "Winners - Film category". 20th KCEA Awards. Archived from the original on 2013-12-27. Retrieved 2013-04-02.
- ^ Hicap, Jonathan M. (5 April 2013). "49th Baeksang Arts Awards nominees revealed". Manila Bulletin. Archived from the original on 2013-06-16. Retrieved 2013-04-11.
- ^ Conran, Pierce (2 November 2015). "THE THRONE Tops Korean Association of Film Critics Awards". Korean Film Biz Zone. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved November 6, 2015.
