Lee Hae-jun | |
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| Born | August 18, 1973 |
| Other names | Lee Hey-jun Lee Hae-joon |
| Alma mater | Seoul Institute of the Arts |
| Occupation(s) | Film director, screenwriter |
| Years active | 2000-present |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 이해준 |
| Revised Romanization | I Hae-jun |
| McCune–Reischauer | I Hae-chun |
Lee Hae-jun (born August 18, 1973) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. He wrote and directed Like a Virgin (2006), Castaway on the Moon (2009), and My Dictator (2014).
Lee Hae-jun studied advertising at Seoul Institute of the Arts, but he soon made a name for himself in the Korean film industry for writing screenplays in various genres, such as Kim Jee-woon's vampire short film Coming Out , Jo Keun-shik's 1980s-set high school comedy Conduct Zero (2002), Kim Jin-min's small-town romance Au Revoir, UFO (2004), and Yim Pil-sung's psychological thriller Antarctic Journal (2005). [1]
In 2006, he and Lee Hae-young co-wrote and co-directed the coming-of-age film Like a Virgin , in which Ryu Deok-hwan played an overweight trans woman teenager who idolizes Madonna and joins the high school ssireum team, hoping to use the prize money, if they win the national tournament, for sex change surgery. [2] The filmmakers gained praise for their directorial debut and its sensitive portrayal of a potentially controversial subject, [3] which resulted in several nominations and awards, including Best New Director(s) at the 7th Busan Film Critics Awards, Best Screenplay and Best New Director(s) at the 27th Blue Dragon Film Awards, [4] Best New Director(s) at the 5th Korean Film Awards, and Best Screenplay at the 43rd Baeksang Arts Awards. Like a Virgin was also invited to international film festivals, including the Generation section of the 57th Berlin International Film Festival, [5] [6] and the 20th Singapore International Film Festival where it won the NETPAC Award. [7]
Three years later, Lee made his first solo directorial effort Castaway on the Moon (2009), in which he continued whimsically exploring themes of alienation in modern life. Titled in Korean "The Adventures of Kim" or "Kim's Island," Jung Jae-young played Mr. Kim, a businessman who after a suicide attempt gets marooned on a tiny, uninhabited island on the Han River in the middle of metropolitan Seoul, while he's observed by hikikomori Miss Kim (Jung Ryeo-won) through a telescope in her bedroom, which compels her to step outside again. [8] [9] Lee said that in making the quirky romantic/black comedy, he wanted to give viewers a message of hope. [10] Like his previous film, Lee's Castaway on the Moon traveled the international film festival circuit, winning the NETPAC Award at the 29th Hawaii International Film Festival, [11] the Black Dragon Audience Award at the 12th Udine Far East Film Festival, [12] the Audience Award at the 9th New York Asian Film Festival, [13] and the Special Jury Prize at the 14th Fantasia International Film Festival. [14] In 2011, CJ Entertainment announced an American remake with Mark Waters attached as director. [15]
Despite critical acclaim for both Like a Virgin and Castaway on the Moon, both films did not do well at the domestic box office. [9] Lee said, "I realized that as a commercial film director I can't just make the film that I want to make... instead, I have to consider the audience. I had to understand the fact that my interests don't always match the audience's, and there was also the pressure of making a return on the investments in my film." [16]
In 2014, Lee cast Sol Kyung-gu and Park Hae-il in his third film, My Dictator . [17] Set in the 1970s, the film is about a bit part theater actor (played by Sol) whom the Korean Central Intelligence Agency hires as the body double for Kim Il Sung in the rehearsals for a historic North-South summit between Kim and Park Chung Hee. [18] Lee spoke candidly, "I thought I could tell a story about an actor, and at the same time, about one individual who lived in tumultuous times. Moreover I felt like I could tell a story about the lives of fathers who went through those times. I once saw a photograph of my father a long time ago. He was so young. But I was curious what made my father, who had been so young, into the dictator-like father that he was now. Thinking about it, it seemed that having passed through an era rife with dictators in both the North and the South, he couldn't just stay young. [...] Like all the fathers of our time, he is awkward at communicating affectionately with his offspring. I think that hurt me a little bit, too. [...] In that way, my father was someone who made me follow his own stride. Now that father of mine has fallen into a condition where he is ill and cannot even speak properly, I want to broach and speak of the things that made me most uncomfortable with him. The greatest way I can do that is through a film. So in a sense, My Dictator is a film in which I have put my heart's desire to reconcile with my father." [19] [20]
Park Hae-il is a South Korean actor. He began his acting career in theater, but soon gained the film industry's attention in 2003 with Scent of Love and Memories of Murder. Park's film career took off, with leading roles in notable films, including Rules of Dating (2005), The Host (2006), Moss (2010), War of the Arrows (2011), Eungyo (2012), Whistle Blower (2014), The Last Princess (2016), The Fortress (2017), Decision to Leave (2022) and Hansan: Rising Dragon (2022).
Jeong Jae-yeong is a South Korean actor. He is known for starring in the films Guns & Talks (2001), Silmido (2003), Someone Special (2004), Welcome to Dongmakgol (2005), Public Enemy Returns (2008), Castaway on the Moon (2009), Moss (2010), Confession of Murder (2012), Noryang: Deadly Sea (2023), as well as the television series Partners for Justice (2018–19).
Like a Virgin is a 2006 South Korean comedy-drama film written and directed by Lee Hae-jun and Lee Hae-young. Ryu Deok-hwan stars in the lead role as transgender teenager Oh Dong-ku, and won several domestic awards for his performance, as well as a nomination for the Asia Pacific Screen Award Best Performance by an Actor. The film's English title is a reference to a Madonna song of the same name.
Once in a Summer is a 2006 South Korean romance melodrama film directed by Joh Keun-shik. The film stars Lee Byung-hun and Soo Ae. It won Best Film and Best Director at the 15th Chunsa Film Art Awards in 2007.
Castaway on the Moon is a 2009 South Korean romantic comedy film written and directed by Lee Hae-jun. It is a love story between a suicidal man turned castaway on Bamseom in the Han River and a Hikikomori woman who is addicted to Cyworld.
Kim Go-eun is a South Korean actress. She debuted in the film Eungyo (2012) where she won several Best New Actress awards in South Korea. She is also known for her roles in the television series Cheese in the Trap (2016), Guardian: The Lonely and Great God (2016–2017), Yumi's Cells (2021–2022), and Little Women (2022), as well as the films Coin Locker Girl (2015), Hero (2022), and Exhuma (2024).
In Another Country is a 2012 South Korean comedy-drama film written and directed by Hong Sang-soo. Set in a seaside town, the film consists of three parts that tell the story of three women, all named Anne and all played by French actress Isabelle Huppert. The film competed for the Palme d'Or at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. The film was selected as part of the 2013 Hong Kong International Film Festival.
My Rosy Life is a 2005 South Korean television drama series starring Choi Jin-sil, Son Hyun-joo, and Lee Tae-ran. It aired on KBS2 from August 24 to November 10, 2005 on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 21:55 for 24 episodes.
Lee Sung-min is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his supporting roles on television and film, notably his much-praised performances in Golden Time (2012), Broken (2014), Misaeng: Incomplete Life (2014), and Reborn Rich (2022). Lee has also received critical acclaim for his role in the 2018 espionage film The Spy Gone North, for which he won Best Actor at the 55th Baeksang Arts Awards.
Kim Myung-gon is a South Korean actor, screenwriter and music director. He is best known for starring in and writing the screenplay of Korean film classic Seopyeonje, for which he won Best Actor at the 1993 Blue Dragon Film Awards. Kim was also Korea's Minister of Culture and Tourism from March 2006 to May 2007.
Hellcats is a 2008 South Korean romantic comedy film about an extended family of three women from different generations—the fortysomething interior designer Young-mi, the 27-year old screenwriter Ah-mi, and the high school student Kang-ae -- who are all engaged in dilemmas regarding love and sex.
Yim Pil-sung is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. He wrote and directed Antarctic Journal (2005), Hansel and Gretel (2007), and Scarlet Innocence (2014).
My Dictator is a 2014 South Korean film directed and co-written by Lee Hae-jun, starring Sol Kyung-gu and Park Hae-il.
Park Chan-ok is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. She wrote and directed Jealousy Is My Middle Name (2003) and Paju (2009).
Zhang Lü is a Chinese filmmaker. Zhang was originally a novelist before embarking on a career in cinema. His arthouse films have mostly focused on the disenfranchised, particularly ethnic Koreans living in China; these include Grain in Ear (2006), Desert Dream (2007), Dooman River (2011), Scenery (2013), and Gyeongju (2014).
Jung Joo-ri, also known as July Jung, is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. Jung's directorial debut feature A Girl at My Door won the Best First Film at the 25th Stockholm International Film Festival. She also won the Best New Director at the 23rd Buil Film Awards and Best Director/Screenwriter at the 15th Women in Film Korea Awards in 2014, and Best Screenplay at the 2nd Wildflower Film Awards and Best New Director for film at the 51st Baeksang Arts Awards in 2015.
Lee Hae-young is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. Lee wrote and directed his debut feature Like a Virgin (2006), which won several awards for Best New Director and Best Screenplay. His first solo feature was Foxy Festival (2010). His third feature was a mystery film called The Silenced (2015).
Jeon Jong-seo, also known as Rachel Jun, is a South Korean actress. She made her acting debut in a leading role in the 2018 acclaimed thriller film Burning. She next starred in the film The Call (2020) for which she won the Baeksang Arts Award for Best Actress – Film. She starred in the English language film Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon in 2021 and in the Netflix series Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area in 2022.
D.P. is a South Korean military action television series for Netflix. Directed by Han Jun-hee, from a screenplay by Kim Bo-tong and Han, based on the Lezhin webtoon D.P Dog's Day by Kim, and starring Jung Hae-in, Koo Kyo-hwan, Kim Sung-kyun, and Son Suk-ku. The first season was released on August 27, 2021, and the second season was released on July 28, 2023.
Decision to Leave is a 2022 South Korean neo-noir romantic mystery film directed, co-written and produced by Park Chan-wook. The film follows married detective Jang Hae-jun, whose investigation of a man's death leads him to the man's widow, Chinese immigrant Song Seo-rae. Hae-jun's investigation of Seo-rae as a suspect gradually leads him to develop feelings towards her.
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