HWANG Dong-hyuk, born in 1971, first got a master’s degree in journalism in Korea before starting to make short films for himself and deciding to go study film production at the University of Southern California. Having been made aware of the issues relative to adaption through the case of his aunt, he tackled the subject with his short movie <Miracle Mile> (2005), starring Karl YUNE, which earned him an invite to the Cannes Film Festival. His debut feature <My Fa...More

HWANG Dong-hyuk, born in 1971, first got a master’s degree in journalism in Korea before starting to make short films for himself and deciding to go study film production at the University of Southern California. Having been made aware of the issues relative to adaption through the case of his aunt, he tackled the subject with his short movie <Miracle Mile> (2005), starring Karl YUNE, which earned him an invite to the Cannes Film Festival. His debut feature <My Father> (2007) was on the same topic and received praise from film critics for its subtle and subdued approach to a story that could have easily relied on dramatic exaggerations. HWANG made a splash in 2011 with his sophomore effort <Silenced>, an adaptation of the book of the same name by GONG Ji-young that depicted the real-life events of sexual abuse committed on hearing-impaired children at Gwangju Inhwa School. The idea was first pitched to him by the leading actor himself, GONG Yoo, who had been profoundly moved by the novel. After giving it much thought, HWANG decided to take up the challenge and tried writing a screenplay that would deal with this tabooed matter in a respectful yet uncompromising way, exposing the ills of society that allow it to happen and go unpunished. Not only was the film a critical and commercial success, it also reopened the debate on the penalization of sexual crimes committed on children, which eventually led to the passing of a revised bill named upon the film. In a surprising move, HWANG decided for his next project to direct a fantasy comedy, a drastic departure from the heavy themes of his first films. A tale about a grandmother who mysteriously regains the appearance she had in her 20s and thus reconnects with her family, <Miss Granny> (2013) was a tremendous success, garnering 8.6 million admissions. It would later spearhead the expansion of CJ E&M into foreign markets as the film company would produce remakes successively in China, Vietnam, Japan, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines, all helmed by local directors of the respective countries, with further plans for Turkish, American, German and Indian versions. He then turned his hand to historical drama by adapting KIM Hoon’s bestseller novel in <The Fortress> (2017). Following King Injo, as he is besieged by the Manchu and has to decide the future of the nation, the film was hailed by the critics and the public alike and went on to win several awards, including Best Director and Best Film from the Korean Association of Film Critics, and Best Screenplay at the Blue Dragon Film Awards. Less