Kim Jee-woon
Kim Jee-woon | |
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Born | Seoul, South Korea | July 6, 1964
Other names | Kim Jee-woon |
Occupations |
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Years active | 1998–present |
Relatives |
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Korean name | |
Hangul | |
Hanja | |
Revised Romanization | Gim Ji-un |
McCune–Reischauer | Kim Chiun |
Kim Jee-woon (Korean: 김지운; born July 6, 1964) is a South Korean film director, screenwriter, and producer. Kim was a theater actor and director before debuting with his self-written and directed film, The Quiet Family in 1998. Kim has worked with increasing levels of success in cinema, showing accomplished acting and a detailed stylization in his films. He is currently one of the most talented and recognized writers/directors in the Korean film industry.
Kim is growing substantially both as a director and a visual stylist as demonstrated by two of his films A Tale of Two Sisters and A Bittersweet Life both of which were received as critical and commercial successes. He is also known for his films The Foul King (2000), I Saw the Devil (2010), and The Good, the Bad, the Weird (2008).
Early life
Kim Jee-woon was born on July 6, 1964 in Seoul, South Korea and is the youngest of six siblings. He grew up in Samgak-dong, a neighborhood between present day Jongno and Euljiro. His grandfather was a tailor. As a youth, Kim was frequently taken to the cinema by his father and exposed to many European classic movies which inspired his dream of film.
In 1983, Kim entered the Department of theater at Seoul Institute of the Arts. After dropping out of school, Kim stayed in Paris for three months in 1991 and watched about 100 films during Cahiers du Cinéma’s 40-year anniversary film festival. Kim built up his career in the field by writing and directing several plays including Hot Sea (1994) and Movie Movie (1995). He also acted onstage in the musical Guys and Dolls (1983) and the play The Seagull.
Career
Debut as screenwriter and director (1994-2002)
Kim begin his film career as assistant director for Lee Sung-soo's 1994 film The Young Lover. In 1996, Kim started his career as a screenwriter by chance, because he was in a car accident and had to pay for the repairs, which amounted to KRW 6 million ($5,300). Kim won a competition in the movie magazine Premiere with his script entitled "Wonderful Seasons."
In 1997, Kim went to a ramen shop, and the lady owner used Cine21 magazine instead of a tray. The magazine had an advertisement about the 1st Cine21 Screenplay Contest stating it was a week before the deadline. Kim wrote a film script entitled "The Quiet Family", and won first prize. The screenplay went into several film production companies, but couldn't find the right director. Eventually Kim got the opportunity to direct his first feature film, The Quiet Family (1998), a horror/drama/comedy about a family who owns a mountain inn whose guests continue to commit suicide. The film was his first collaboration with actors Choi Min-sik and Song Kang-ho. The film won Best Live Action film at the 1999 Fantasporto festival, and Best Director and Best Film at the Malaga International Week of Fantastic Cinema. It was also nominated for Best Film at the 1998 Sitges - Catalan International Film Festival.
In 2000, Kim directed and wrote his second feature film, The Foul King (2000), which reunited him with Song Kang-ho. The film follows an unproductive and incompetent bank clerk (played by Song Kang-ho) who escapes his demanding, alpha-male boss by entering the pro-wrestling ring and fighting under a pseudonym, "The Foul King." The two worlds eventually end up colliding. The film won Best Director at the 2001 Milan International Film Festival and an Audience Award at the Udine Far East Film Festival.
In 2001, Kim directed and wrote a short film entitled Coming Out (2001). The film is about vampires, among other things, and Kim wrote and directed Coming Out as part of a project to distribute three digital short films online. It was also commissioned by venture group Media 4M, and the project also included shorts by Jang Jin and Ryu Seung-wan. Coming Out was shot with a Canon XL-1 camcorder during a time when digital filmmaking in South Korea was still in its infancy, and it went on to inspire many other digital productions. It was shown at the Fantasia Festival and the Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival in 2001, and the Thessaloniki International Film Festival in 2005. Coming Out was also included as a special feature on the UK DVD release of The Quiet Family, and a review at DVDActive praised it as "delicate, cerebral and contemporary cinema at its most profound."
Kim next wrote and directed the "Memories" segment in the omnibus film, Three (also known as Three Extremes II), also featuring segments directed by Peter Chan and Nonzee Nimibutr. The segment starred Kim Hye-soo.
Breakthrough (2003-2013)
In 2003, Kim wrote and Directed A Tale of Two Sisters (2003), which won a number of awards at a number of film festivals including the Fant-Asia Film Festival (most popular film), Best Actress (Im Soo-jung), Best Director and Best Film at the Fantasporto, Best Picture at Screamfest Horror Film Festival, Grand Prize and the Youth Jury Grand Prize at the Gerardmer Film Festival, and acting awards for Im Soo-jung and Yum Jung-ah at the Blue Dragon Film Awards and the Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival. The film was later remade into the 2009 U.S. film The Uninvited, starring Emily Browning, with Kim being credited with an original story/writer credit.
In 2005, Kim wrote and directed A Bittersweet Life (2005), his first collaboration with actor Lee Byung-hun (whom he would later work with in The Good, the Bad, the Weird and I Saw the Devil (2010). The film was an ultra-stylish and ultra-violent gangster and mobster picture that was both a critical and commercial success in South Korea. The film was released theatrically in South Korea on 1 April 2005. It opened on 265 screens throughout the country, and registered a total of 1,112,950 admissions by the end of its run. Lee Byung-hun won Best Actor at the Baeksang Arts Awards and Hwang Jung-min won a Best Supporting Actor award at Korea's Grand Bell Awards. Kim also won the "Action Asia Award" at the 2006 Deauville Asian Film Festival.
In 2008, Kim wrote and directed The Good, the Bad, the Weird (2008), his tribute to Sergio Leone's western action film The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966). He would re-team again with Song Kang-ho (who played "The Weird") as well as Lee Byung-hun (who played "The Bad") in the film. The film takes place in 1930s Manchuria and chronicles the struggles of the three main characters in trying to find a piece of treasure. The film won an Achievement in Cinematography Award from the 2008 Asia Pacific Screen Awards, won Best Supporting Actor for Jung Woo-sung (the "Good") at the 2009 Asian Film Awards, and won Best Director and Best Special Effects at the 2008 Sitges - Catalan International Film Festival.
In 2010, Kim directed, based on a screenplay from Park Hoon-jung, the thriller I Saw the Devil, the first time Kim directing a film while adapting a script from someone else. Choi Min-sik who worked with him in A Bittersweet Life, played the serial killer, came to him with the script. Kim first impression of the script was it felt very new and powerful, with a brutal and tough side to it, which got him interested. Kim thought one of the most important things was to find the right antagonist for Choi's character. He met Lee Byung-hun whom he worked with previously on The Good, the Bad, the Weird in a festival and he agreed to headline the film. The film won a number of awards, including Best Director and Best Film at Fantasporto, Special Jury Prize, Audience Award, Critics Award at the Gerardmer Film Festival, Best Lighting at the Grand Bell Awards, Best Foreign Language film from the Austin Film Critics Association and Best Editing from the 2011 Asian Film Awards.
In 2012, Kim directed and wrote the segment known as "The Heavenly Creature" about a robot who achieves enlightenment in a Buddhist temple, in 2012 omnibus film Doomsday Book (Yim Pil-sung directed the other two segments). The film won Best International Film at the Fantasia Festival and a Special Award at the Toronto After Dark Film Festival.
US Debut and recent works (2013 to present)
In 2013, Kim made his U.S. feature directorial debut, featuring the return of Arnold Schwarzenegger to lead acting roles, The Last Stand, for Lionsgate Films. The film also starred Johnny Knoxville, Forest Whitaker, Peter Stormare, and Daniel Henney.
"[…] Kim Jee-woon is a person who creates very creative shots. He came up with a lot of ideas even though his on-site schedule was tight, and his instantaneous and intuitive judgments were excellent. In fact, at first, he was very worried about communication problems with him, but it didn't really matter once he started filming."
Arnold Schwarzenegger, Cine21' interview
In October 2013, it was announced that Kim is set to direct the movie adaptation of Ed Brubaker's pulp crime comic Coward. However that wasn’t realized, so affter his US debut, Kim returned to Korea.
In 2013, Kim premiered his short, The X, in the Gala Presentation category at the Busan International Film Festival. Kim, filmed The X using his country’s new multi-projection technology, ScreenX. ScreenX technology expands the movie's display onto the sidewalls of the theater, allowing certain scenes to wrap around the audience by capturing them in 270 degrees. In addition to this visual technology, SoundX was also created to enhance the overall experience by conveying a more immersive sense of space and distance. These innovative creations enable viewers to be fully surrounded, and in addition, they offer exciting new narrative possibilities for filmmakers.
Kim Jee-woon was honored at the Gérardmer Film Festival in 2014, where his previous works had also been recognized. He had previously received the Grand Prize in 2004 for A Tale of Two Sisters (2003), as well as the Critics' Prize and Audience Prize in 2011 for I Saw the Devil (2010).
On August 3, 2015, it was announced that Warner Bros. would finance and distribute its first ever Korean-language 1930s set drama Secret Agent, and the $8.62 million budgeted film would also be produced by Grimm Pictures. The project and script was developed by Lee Jin-sook, which Kim Jee-woon would direct and the cast would be Song Kang-ho and Gong Yoo. A trailer was released on July 14, 2016, revealing the new title as The Age of Shadows. On August 30, 2016, The Korean Film Council (KOFIC) has announced today that The Age of Shadows has been selected as South Korea's official entry for the best foreign-language film category at the 89th Academy Awards.
From 2017 to 2018, Kim filmed the science fiction action film Illang: The Wolf Brigade, a remake of the 1999 anime film Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade It was released in the summer of 2018 and features a star-studded cast that includes Gang Dong-won, Han Hyo-joo, Jung Woo-sung, Kim Mu-yeol, and Choi Min-ho.
From October 31 November 9, 2019, to Kim's The Foul King was selected as one of selection of 18 films in Celebration of 100 years of Korean cinema in 7th Korean Film Festival Brussels.
"There's a different kind of pressure when you're working on a TV series because films are mostly two hours long, whereas for TV series, this one was six hours long," says Kim. "I wanted to make sure that each episode told a complete story in itself, while hooking the audience to watch the following episode. I had to be extra careful and more creative with building the plot."
—Kim Jee-woon Forbes' interview
Before, in May 2019, YG Entertainment's drama production subsidiary YG STUDIOPLEX announced that Kim will direct the company's adaptation of the Daumwebtoon Dr. Brain, created by Mister Hong. In October 2020, several Korean news outlets reported that the adaptation was picked up by Apple TV+, becoming the latter's first Korean language original series. Titled Dr. Brain, it will have six episodes aimed for broadcast in 2021. Dr. Brain is a sci-fi thriller about a scientist who uses advanced technology to access the memories of his deceased wife.
Kim reteam for the fifth time with Song Kang-ho, for his film Cobweb. In addition to Song, the ensemble cast includes Im Soo-jung, Oh Jung-se, Jeon Yeo-been, and Krystal Jung. Written by Shin Yeon-shick, the film was the first project of Anthology Studios, a production house co-founded by Kim, Song and Jay Choi (previously local production head for Warner Bros Korea), which was acquired by JTBC Studios in early 2021. Cobweb has been invited to the out of competition section of the 76th Cannes International Film Festival which will be held in May 2023.
In May 2023, Kim signed with Creative Artists Agency.
Filmmaking
Style
Kim is known for pushing the boundaries of genre in his works. He has written and directed masterful works spanning a range of genres including horror, comedy, sci-fi, noir, western, and spy thriller. Rather than relying on a formulaic approach, Kim's filmmaking involves exploring a wide range of eras, styles, and genres with impressive skill. Kim's directing techniques are characterized by smooth camerawork and his use of classic colors, lighting effects, and rich architectural set design, which are prominent features of his visual storytelling.
Due to his background in directing plays before entering Chungmuro, Kim is often regarded as having a theatrical style. This seems reasonable given that he creates talkative comedies in which dialogue plays a large part. Kim's comedies feature a large proportion of visual gags that actively utilize the camera and editing.
Furthermore, Kim places great emphasis on the DVD releases of his films and goes to great lengths to package them with extensive documentary materials and revealing commentary tracks.
Influences
Kim mentioned more than once that he were inspired and influenced by the works of French auteur Jean-Pierre Melville, whose films he watched as a child. A Bittersweet Life was like a Koreanized Melville. In the final gunfight of the film, his main references were Quentin Tarantino's film Kill Bill and Brian De Palma's film Scarface.
Regarding the visual style of film I Saw the Devil, Kim drew inspiration from David Fincher's Zodiac, specifically the colors and contrast used in that film to capture the mood of the time period.
Collaborators
Kim thinks that the role of cinematographer and artistic director are immensely important in film production. Kim has formed several long-lasting partnerships and close collaborators. Kim collaborated extensively with cinematographer Lee Mo-gae particularly on A Tale of Two Sisters (2003), directed The Good, the Bad, the Weird (2008), I Saw the Devil (2010), and Illang: The Wolf Brigade. Kim and cinematographer Kim Ji-yong worked together on three different projects, in A Bittersweet Life (2005), The Last Stand (2013), and The Age of Shadows (2016).
After collaborating on I Saw the Devil (2010), Kim and music director Mowg went on to work together on a number of other projects, including Doomsday Book (2012), The Last Stand (2013), One Perfect Day (short film 2013), The X (short film 2013), The Age of Shadows (2016), Illang: The Wolf Brigade (2018), Untact (short film 2020), and Dr. Brain (2021).
Kim has a talent for attracting top-tier acting talents, with some of Korea's most well-known stars, such as Choi Min-sik and Song Kang-ho, being integral parts of his casting selection. He is strongly associated with Song Kang-ho, who has appeared in five of Kim’s feature length films. Kim describes Song as a partner,
"When I first saw Song Kang-ho, I felt he was a bit nerdy. Regardless of whether he is good at acting or not, he has a very instinctive and animal feeling. He tends to take a lot of former actors. What I mean is, he's the sum of what comes out accidentally. I look for the kind of tension he gives, and the rupture that happens accidentally in it. At the same time, he wondered if he would be able to create a unique collaboration. In the case of the two directors, the continuity is so strong... (Laughter) There is a certainty about the character. If you continued to express it with sincerity, would you say I'm looking for a sense of excitement? It's not common, but I think it enriches the person's character when viewed as a whole. I tend to look for images that make me feel more alive and raw."
In addition to Song, other actors who have appeared in at least two of his films are Choi Min-sik, Lee Byung-hun, Jung Woo-sung, Kim Kap-soo and Im Soo-jung.
Philanthropy
Kim Jee-woon donated his entire modeling fee from Japanese Sony Bravia to VANK, a cyber diplomatic mission. According to Park Ki-tae, the general manager of VANK, on August 12, 2008, Kim made the donation as a way to show his appreciation for the support he received for The Good, the Bad, the Weird. The donation was used for the 'Dokdo Keeper' cause.
Filmography
Feature films
"I don't think it's possible to predict the future. But I just want to keep making movies as long as they exist."
—Kim Jee-woon
Year | Title | Credited as | Notes | |||
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English | Korean | Director | Writer | Producer | ||
1998 | The Quiet Family | 조용한 가족 | Yes | Yes | No | |
2000 | The Foul King | 반칙왕 | Yes | Yes | No | |
2003 | A Tale of Two Sisters | 장화, 홍련 | Yes | Yes | No | |
2005 | A Bittersweet Life | 달콤한 인생 | Yes | Yes | No | |
2008 | The Good, the Bad, the Weird | 좋은 놈, 나쁜 놈, 이상한 놈 | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
2010 | I Saw the Devil | 악마를 보았다 | Yes | No | No | |
2013 | The Last Stand | Yes | No | No | ||
2016 | The Age of Shadows | 밀정 | Yes | No | Yes | |
2018 | Illang: The Wolf Brigade | 인랑 | Yes | Yes | No | |
TBA | Cobweb | 거미집 | Yes | No | No |
Short films
"It is certainly true that for most directors there are great difficulties in getting short films screened in Korea. However, as many of my shorts have been made as part of larger projects and most have come on the back of releases of my feature-length films, I have had no real difficulties by comparison. Perhaps my fame has played a part on its own too, but of course I won’t say it has (Kim Jee-woon laughs)."
—Kim Jee-woon in Interview with Hangul Celluloid
Year | Title | Credited as | Notes | ||
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English | Original | Director | Writer | ||
2000 | Coming Out | 커밍 아웃 | Yes | Yes | |
2002 | Three - "Memories" |
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Yes | Yes | |
2011 | 60 Seconds of Solitude in Year Zero | Yes | Yes | 2011 anthology film, a collection of one-minute short films created by 60 filmmakers from around the world on the theme of the death of cinema. | |
2012 | Doomsday Book - "The Heavenly Creature" | 인류멸망보고서 - "천상의 피조물" | Yes | Yes | |
2013 | One Perfect Day | 사랑의 가위바위보 | Yes | Yes | |
The X | Yes | Yes | |||
2020 | Live Your Strength | — | Yes | Yes | |
Untact | 언택트 | Yes | Yes |
Web series
Year | Title | Credited as | Note | |||
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English | Korean | Director | Writer | Producer | ||
2021 | Dr. Brain | Dr. 브레인 | Yes | Yes | Executive | |
2023 | Netizen | 망내인 | Yes | No | No |
Publications
Year | Title | Author | Publisher | Published Date | ISBN | Ref. | |
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English | Korean | ||||||
2006 | Shortcut by Kim Ji-woon | 장진 희곡집 | Kim Jee-woon | Mindwalk | 2006-11-30 | 978-8-9609-0000-4 | |
2008 | 2008-01-15 | 978-8-9609-0042-4 | |||||
2010 | The Good, The Bad, The Weird; The Basic | 좋은놈, 나쁜놈, 이상한놈_베이직 | All That Story | 2010-05-18 | |||
2011 | Movie of My Life | 내 인생의 영화 | Cine21 Books | 2011-07-12 | 978-8-9843-1484-9 |
Recurring Cast
Kim frequently re-casts actors whom he has worked with on previous films.
Accolades
Awards and nominations
Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
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1999 | 19th FantaSporto International Film Festival | International Fantasy Film Award | The Quiet Family | Won | |
2000 | Málaga International Week of Fantastic Cinema | Best Film | Won | ||
Best Director | Won | ||||
Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best Film | The Foul King | Nominated | ||
2001 | 2001 Milan International Film Festival | Best Director | Won | ||
3rd Far East Film Festival | Audience Award | Won | |||
2003 | The 4th Busan Film Critics Awards | Special Jury Award | A Tale of Two Sisters | Won | |
Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival | Best Film | Nominated | |||
Screamfest Horror Film Festival | Best Director | Won | |||
Crystal Skull Award | Won | ||||
2004 | 23rd Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival | Silver Crow Award | Won | ||
11th Gérardmer International Fantastic Film Festival | the Grand Prize | Won | |||
the Youth Jury Grand Prize | Won | ||||
Fantasia International Film Festival | Most Popular Film | Won | |||
24th FantaSporto International Film Festival | International Fantasy Film Award | Won | |||
Best Director Award | Won | ||||
the Orient Express Section Special Jury Award | Won | ||||
Faro Island Film Festival | Golden Moon Award | Nominated | |||
2005 | The 25th Korean Association of Film Critics Awards | Top 10 Film Awards | A Bittersweet Life | Won | |
Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival | Best Motion Pictures | Nominated | |||
2006 | 8th Deauville Asian Film Festival, France | Action Asia Award | Won | ||
10th Fantasia Film Festival | Silver Award | Won | |||
2008 | 29th Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best Director | The Good, The Bad, The Weird | Won | |
Most Popular Film | Won | ||||
Best Film | Nominated | ||||
Cine21 Film Award | Best Director of The Year | Won | |||
41st Sitges Film Festival | Best Director | Won | |||
Official Fantastic Best Special Effects Award | Won | ||||
28th Hawaii International Film Festival | Maverick Award | Nominated | |||
Asia Pacific Screen Awards | Achievement in Directing | Nominated | |||
2008 Buil Film Awards | Buil Readers' Jury Award | Nominated | |||
Korean Film Awards | Best Director | Nominated | |||
11th Director's Cut Awards | Best Director of the Year | Won | |||
2009 | 2009 Asian Film Awards | Best Film | Nominated | ||
Best Director | Nominated | ||||
2009 Baeksang Arts Awards | Best Film | Nominated | |||
Best Director | Nominated | ||||
CPH PIX | Politiken's Audience Award | Nominated | |||
2012 | 16th Fantasia Festival | Cheval Noir Award | Doomsday Book | Won | |
Strasbourg International Film Festival | Best International Film | Nominated | |||
Toronto After Dark Film Festival | Best Film Award | Won | |||
15th Vision Fest Next Generation | Director Award | Won | |||
2013 | 1st Marie Claire Film & Music Festival | Pioneer Award | Kim Jee-woon | Won | |
2011 | 2011 Austin Film Critics Association | Best Foreign Language Film | I Saw the Devil | Won | |
Best Film | Nominated | ||||
Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival | Golden Raven | Won | |||
17th Bilbao Fantastic Film Festival | Official Competition Grand Prize | Won | |||
Central Ohio Film Critics Association | Best Foreign Language Film | Nominated | |||
Fangoria Chainsaw Awards | Best Foreign Language Film | Nominated | |||
31st FantaSporto International Film Festival | Orient Express Best Film Award | Won | |||
Best Director | Won | ||||
Fright Meter Awards | Best Horror Movie | Nominated | |||
Best Director | Won | ||||
47th Grand Bell Awards | Best Film | Nominated | |||
18th Gérardmer Film Festival | Audience Award | Won | |||
Critics Award | Kim Jee-woon | Won | |||
Special Jury Prize | Won | ||||
Youth Jury Grand Prize | I Saw the Devil | Won | |||
Houston Film Critics Society Awards | Best Foreign Language Film | Won | |||
Scream Awards | Best Horror Movie | Nominated | |||
St. Louis Film Critics Association Awards | Best Foreign Language Film | Nominated | |||
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Awards | Best Foreign Language Film | Nominated | |||
2016 | 36th Korean Association of Film Critics Awards | Best Picture | The Age of Shadows | Won | |
Top 10 Film Awards | Won | ||||
Austin Fantastic Fest | Best Pictures Action Features | Won | |||
Philadelphia Film Festival | Narrative Awars | Nominated | |||
37th Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best Film | Nominated | |||
Best Director | Nominated | ||||
53rd Grand Bell Awards | Best Director | Nominated | |||
Best Screenplay | Nominated | ||||
2017 | 11th Asian Film Awards | Best Film | Nominated | ||
53rd Baeksang Arts Awards | Best Director (Film) | Won | |||
Best Film | Nominated | ||||
17th Director's Cut Awards | Special Mention of the Year | Won | |||
37th FantaSporto International Film Festival | Director's Weekly Best Director Award | Won | |||
37th Golden Cinematography Award | Grand Prize | Won | |||
Tromsø International Film Festival | Aurora Award | Nominated | |||
2018 | 2018 Resistance Film Festival | Best Director Award | Kim Jee-woon | Won | |
2018 | San Sebastián International Film Festival | Golden Seashell | Illang: The Wolf Brigade | Won |
State honors
Country | Award Ceremony | Year | Honor | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
France | Busan International Film Festival - the French Night | 2018 | the Arts and Letters Officer’s decoration |