While the Korean film industry continues to struggle to bounce back to pre-covid levels it has seen eight commercial films break-even so far this year, which is two more than the whole of 2023. It is also telling that it’s not blockbusters– once the driving force of the local industry – that are performing well. 

It’s also a notable that three out of the eight films that broke even were helmed by female directors. Park Young-ju’s Citizen of a Kind (2024) sold more than 1.7 million tickets, Kim Se-hwi’s Following (2024) pulled in 1.2 million viewers and Kim Han-gyeol’s Pilot (2024) surpassed 4.6 million admissions. Also making headway in the wider content industry is Park Noo-ri whose limited series Gangnam B-Side (2024) dropped on Disney Plus in November. 

This is significant. While female filmmakers have grown in prominence during the contemporary era led by directors such as Yim Soon-rye (Waikiki Brothers (2001)), Byun Young-joo (The Murmuring (1995)), Jeong Jae-eun (Take Care of My Cat) (2001)), Lee Kyoung-mi (Crush and Blush (2008)), it has been challenging for this generation to make inroads in the commercial industry – at least in the same way as their male counterparts. 

For instance, it wasn’t until the early 2020s with Yim Soon-rye’s The Point Men (2023) that a female director made a film with a budget of over 100 billion won. Many female directors in the independent industry have, however, continued to leave their mark on the festival circuit with Kim Bora’s House of Hummingbird (2018) securing multiple festival invites and winning awards, while Yoon Danbi’s Moving On (2019) achieved a similar feat. Although there is some way to go, there are now further tangible signs underscored by the success of the titles this year that female talent behind the camera are making strides in the commercial industry in what is long overdue. 

These signs were evident in the late 2010s with the success of Park Noo-ri’s Money (2019), which sold more than 3 million tickets and Kim Han-gyeol’s Crazy Romance (2019) that also struck a chord accruing 2.9 million admissions. 

This week, we will delve into the work by some of these directors beginning with Kim Se-hwi (Following) before profiling Park Young-ju (Citizen of a Kind), Kim Han-gyeol (Crazy Romance, Pilot) and Park Noo-ri (Money, Gangnam B-Side).

Kim Se-hwi

After working as a writer/scripter on titles including Stand by Me (2017) and Operation Chromite (2016), Kim Se-hwi made her debut with the engrossing mystery thriller Following (2024), which surpassed box office expectations after its release in May. While it did open with over 100,000 admissions on its first day, akin to many films it then saw a sizable drop on its second day but played for weeks owing to strong word-of-mouth. It ended up surpassing 1 million admissions, which in this challenging market is impressive. 

It stars Byun Yo-han as a as a real estate agent who spies on his clients after getting the keys to their apartments. He is intrigued by a social media influencer (Shin Hye-sun), enters her home and then finds her dead and needs to find out who is behind her death in order to exonerate himself. 

Dealing with the themes of stalking that was seen in titles such as Door Lock (2018), while also delving into social media, it was a film that tapped into issues facing contemporary society in ways that were engaging and unpredictable. Indeed, using genre-driven stories to depict difficulties audiences can relate to has been a consistent trait in Korean cinema. 

The film and its themes also share some similarities (though also somewhat different) to Park Hee-gon’s Don’t Buy the Seller (2023) – also starring Shin Hye-sun, in which she plays an office worker who is stalked by a nefarious scammer and serial killer.

Park Young-joo

Park Young-ju began her career in the film industry making short films which included 1 Kilogram (2016) that was invited to the Cinéfondation Section at the Cannes Film Festival. She also worked in the production department as an assistant director for Detective K: Secret of the Lost Island (2014) and made her feature debut with the independent film Second Life (2018) with production support from her former college, the Korea National University of Arts (K-Arts). 

Her commercial debut Citizen of a Kind released in January is an immensely enjoyable and gripping feature loosely based on a true incident in 2016 in which a woman played by Ra Mi-ran loses 30 million in a voice phishing scheme. The man (Gong Myung) calls back offering to provide her with the information that can bring an end to the criminal enterprise. The film is told from the victim’s perspective, but we also see it from the point of view of the man who is involved in the operation having been abducted and forced to work for a gang in China. 

Voice phishing has become a real issue in Korea with people receiving scam calls and messages on a regular basis. As such, this is becoming a more prominent theme in Korean films through titles such as On the Line (2021) and Don’t Buy the Seller (2023), but Citizen of a Kind stands out for its smart direction and script along with its endearing cast that also includes Yeom Hye-ran and Jang Yoon-joo.

Kim Han-gyeol

Now one of the most successful female directors in Korea with two consecutive commercial hits Crazy Romance and Pilot, Kim Han-gyeol like many of her peers entered the film industry making shorts beginning with A Perfect Sight (2009) and then Chatter (2011).

Kim’s feature debut Crazy Romance stars Kim Rae-won and Gong Hyo-jin as a pair who work together but are dealing with past relationships. Kim plays Jae-hoon who drinks copious amounts of alcohol after breaking up with his fiancée on his wedding day. Kong’s Sung-young is also struggling with a breakup and they find themselves forming a connection - though are wary of the risks involved in an office romance. 

Akin to Roh Deok’s Very Ordinary Couple (2013), it resonates because it doesn’t romanticize relationships; instead, it’s a film that finds charm in the difficulties of maintaining and fostering those relationships that is something audiences could identify with that is hinted at in the Korean title: The Most Ordinary Couple. 

Pilot as a cross-dressing comedy is an altogether different film dealing with themes of gender disparity but doing so in manner that is effective yet never takes itself too seriously. It follows a star pilot (Cho Jung-Seok) at one of the country’s leading air carriers who is fired and blacklisted from the industry after a recording of a drunken exchange goes viral. Desperate to get rehired, he reinvents himself as a woman and he begins flying again and is soon in the headlines when he manages to safely land a plane after it experiences difficulty. The film also stars Lee Joo-myung, Shin Seung-ho and Han Sunhwa.

Its success over the summer further demonstrated not only how viewers are seeking content that pushes the boundaries, but it also illustrates the appetite audiences have for comedy - even in a market where people are consuming more content at home.

Park Noo-ri

Sometimes female directors are associated with narratives focusing on women. While it’s true some have been drawn to such themes, it’s also evident that female directors have helmed male-driven stories illustrated through Park Noo-ri’s Money.  It centers on a young stockbroker (Ryu Jun-yeol) but gets embroiled in a stock market scam orchestrated by figure called “Ticket Man” (Yoo Ji-tae). 

Park who worked as an assistant director on Ryoo Seung-wan’s The Unjust (2010) and The Berlin File (2012) demonstrates a significant amount of skill in her feature debut through its slick production values and brisk narrative. These were factors in its success at the box office accruing more than 3.3 million admissions. 

The director would move into the wider OTT sector for her next project, Gangnam B-Side, which is currently streaming on Disney Plus and is produced by Plus M, and the film production company Sanai Pictures – known for their gritty thrillers Asura: City of Madness (2016), Revolver (2023), and they were also behind Money. This drama exhibits much of the characteristics associated with Sanai films delving into the dark areas of Gangnam as it follows a detective (Jo Woo-jin), a broker (Ji Chang-wook) along with a prosecutor (Ha Yoon-kyung) who team up following a series of disappearances in Seoul’s affluent and famous district.

Written by Jason Bechervaise

Editted by Shim Eun-ha