Choi Dong-hoon (; born February 24, 1971) is a South Korean

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, ...

and

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

. He ranks as one of the most consistently successful directors working in contemporary Korean cinema, with all five of his films becoming commercial hits -- ''

The Big Swindle ''The Big Swindle'' is a 2004 South Korean heist film written and directed by Choi Dong-hoon. It was Choi's feature film directorial debut. It follows a group of four con men, one con woman, and one forger in a complex set of plots and counterplots ...

'' 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 Assassination is the murder of a prominent or important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not have a ...

'' at 12.7 million.

Career

After graduating from the prestigious Korean Academy of Film Arts, Choi Dong-hoon first worked as an

assistant director The role of an assistant director on a film includes tracking daily progress against the filming production schedule, arranging logistics, preparing daily call sheets, checking cast and crew, and maintaining order on the set. They also have t ...

on Im Sang-soo's ''

Tears Tears are a clear liquid secreted by the lacrimal glands (tear gland) found in the eyes of all land mammals. Tears are made up of water, electrolytes, proteins, lipids, and mucins that form layers on the surface of eyes. The different types of ...

'' (he subsequently appeared in acting cameos in several of Im's films). After working on the screenplay for two years, Choi made his feature film directorial debut in 2004 with ''

'' 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 (; ) is the general Korean term for comics and print cartoons. Outside Korea, the term usually refers to South Korean comics. is greatly influenced by Japanese Manga comics. Modern Manhwa has extended its reach to many other countries. T ...

, 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. He returned to the heist genre in 2012 with the star-studded crime caper '' The Thieves'', which attracted almost 13 million viewers in 70 days to become the second all-time highest grossing movie in Korean film history. ''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." Choi made his first period film with 2015's ''

'', 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. In 2017, Choi began production on his next film ''Wiretap'', a remake of the 2009 Hong Kong film '' Overheard''. However, production was halted so Kim Woo Bin could undergo treatment for cancer. At the end of 2019, the director was then reported to be working on a two-part science fiction film. 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.

Filmography

As director

*''A Short Trip'' (

short film A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...

, director; 2000) *''

'' (director, screenwriter; 2004) *'' Tazza: The High Rollers'' (director, screenwriter; 2006) *'' Jeon Woo-chi: The Taoist Wizard'' (director, screenwriter; 2009) *'' The Thieves'' (director, screenwriter; 2012) *''

'' (director, screenwriter, producer; 2015) *'' Alienoid'' (director, screenwriter, producer; 2022) *''Wiretap'' (director, screenwriter; TBA)

Other

*''

'' (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

*2004 3rd Korean Film Awards: Best New Director (''

'') *2004 3rd Korean Film Awards: Best Screenplay (''The Big Swindle'') *2004 25th Blue Dragon Film Awards: Best New Director (''The Big Swindle'') *2004 25th Blue Dragon Film Awards: Best Screenplay (''The Big Swindle'') *2004 7th Director's Cut Awards: Best New Director (''The Big Swindle'') *2004 24th Korean Association of Film Critics Awards: Best New Director (''The Big Swindle'') *2004 41st

Grand Bell Awards The Grand Bell Awards (), also known as the Daejong Film Awards, is an awards ceremony presented annually by The Motion Pictures Association of Korea for excellence in film in South Korea. The Grand Bell Awards retains prestige as the oldest co ...

: Best New Director (''The Big Swindle'') *2004 41st Grand Bell Awards: Best Screenplay (''The Big Swindle'') *2005 SBS Gayo Daejeon: Music Video of the Year *2007 6th Korean Film Awards: Best Screenplay ('' Tazza: The High Rollers'') *2007 8th Busan Film Critics Awards: Best Screenplay (''Tazza: The High Rollers'') *2007 43rd Baeksang Arts Awards: Best Director (''Tazza: The High Rollers'') *2016: 21st Chunsa Film Art Awards: Best Director (''

'')

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Choi, Dong-Hoon South Korean film directors South Korean screenwriters Sogang University alumni People from Jeonju 1971 births Living people Best Director Paeksang Arts Award (film) winners