LIM Syd is a producer respected in the industry for having a good eye for film adaptations; he has developed and produced many projects based on comics, novels or classic tales that have turned out successful, both commercially and critically, such as PARK Chan-wook’s <Old Boy> (2003) and <The Handmaiden> (2016) and KIM Dae-woo’s <The Servant> (2010) to name a few. He discovered a passion for cinema early on as he was watching cinema classics on TV after...More

LIM Syd is a producer respected in the industry for having a good eye for film adaptations; he has developed and produced many projects based on comics, novels or classic tales that have turned out successful, both commercially and critically, such as PARK Chan-wook’s <Old Boy> (2003) and <The Handmaiden> (2016) and KIM Dae-woo’s <The Servant> (2010) to name a few. He discovered a passion for cinema early on as he was watching cinema classics on TV after school. He received a master’s degree in Korean literature after writing a graduation thesis on screenwriting that examined the differences between the scenario of YU Hyun-mok’s classic <An Aimless Bullet> (1961) and the original novel by YI Beomseon. After his mandatory military service, he was hired by Walt Disney in the U.S. where he learned the ropes of film distribution, marketing and copyright management. Two years later, he decided to try his luck in the Korean film industry and joined Bear Entertainment where he got the chance to make his producing debut with <Humanist> (2001). After optioning the rights of a manga “Old Boy”, he came up with the idea of giving the helm of the adaptation to PARK Chan-wook and the lead to CHOI Min-sik. Following the tremendous success of the film that brought Korea cinema on the radar of many film lovers around the world, LIM established the film production company Sio Film. His first film as an independent producer was RYOO Seung-wan’s <Crying Fist> (2004), which was invited to the Critics Week of the Cannes Film Festival. He then produced <The Beast and the Beauty> (2005), <Project Makeover> (2006), and <Big Bang> (2007), only to meet lukewarm reception. Upon selling in 2009 Sio Film to Barunson E&A, he joined the latter as the vice president. After the box office success of <The Servant> (2010), an original interpretation of the classic Korean tale of Chunhyang, he founded in 2012 a new film production company, Yong Film, which he inaugurated with the release of action thriller <The Target> (2014). His following productions <The Beauty Inside> (2015), based on a social film, and <LUCK-KEY> (2015), remake of a Japanese film, convened millions of moviegoers and further established him as one of the most influential Korean producers. His reunion with PARK Chan-wook 13 years after <Old Boy> brought us the universally acclaimed period thriller <The Handmaiden> (2016), inspired from Sarah Waters’ novel “Fingersmith".Less