Following his 10-year absence since Save the Green Planet in 2003, JANG Joon-hwan is about to return with his latest feature. On September 3rd, the production report conference of Hwayi, directed by JANG Joon-hwan and starring KIM Yun-seok and YEO Jin-gu, was held at the Megabox Dongdaemun in Seoul, Korea. Although JANG previously collaborated on the omnibus project Camellia with Japan’s YUKISADA Isao and Thailand’s Wisit SASANATIENG in 2010, Hwayi is only the second feature he has directed since his debut Save the Green Planet.

Hwayi follows the story of Hwayi, played by YEO Jin-gu, and the five lawbreakers he each calls ‘dad’, particularly the merciless ringleader of the criminal group: Suk-tae, played by KIM Yun-seok. They become involved in a fatal race for revenge which all begins with a single gunshot. The news of the casting of YEO Jin-gu, whose career has been heading to stardom following his performance in the film Antique (2008) and in TV dramas such as The Moon Embracing the Sun and Missing You, and KIM Yun-seok, known from films like The Thieves and The Yellow Sea, has raised considerable public attention ever since the start of Hwayi’s production.

“I’ve had quite a long break since Save the Green Planet. Two film projects were cancelled and I got married in the meantime (to actress MOON So-ri)” says JANG Joon-hwan. He continued, “I wanted to make a more progressive film while the industry wanted me to find a better way to communicate with the audience. I guess I was caught in between both of these positions.” KIM Yun-seok exclaimed that “Hwayi was my most difficult film to perform in,” adding that “the way the role demanded me to go deep into the character’s mind made me feel like I was performing in a theater play.” Funded and distributed by Showbox/Mediaplex Inc., Hwayi’s theatrical release is scheduled for October 2013.