Cho Sung-kyu (born March 3, 1969), also known as David Cho, is a South Korean

film producer A film producer is a person who oversees film production. Either employed by a production company or working independently, producers plan and coordinate various aspects of film production, such as selecting the script, coordinating writing, di ...

executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the making of a commercial entertainment product. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights o ...

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''Di ...

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. ...

. Apart from producing and investing in numerous films as

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

of Sponge Entertainment, Cho wrote and directed ''Second Half'' (2010), ''The Heaven Is Only Open to the Single!'' (2012), ''The Winter of the Year Was Warm'' (2012), '' Santa Barbara'' (2014), and ''Planck Constant'' (2015).

Career

Born in 1969, David Cho first studied History at

Yonsei University Yonsei University (; ) is a private research university in Seoul, South Korea. As a member of the "SKY" universities, Yonsei University is deemed one of the three most prestigious institutions in the country. It is particularly respected in the ...

, then changed his major and graduated with a degree in Mass Communication. He published the film magazine ''Nega'' in 1997, then founded the production/distribution company Sponge Entertainment in 2000. As owner and president of Sponge Entertainment, he produced and invested in numerous Korean

arthouse film An art film (or arthouse film) is typically an independent film, aimed at a niche market rather than a mass market audience. It is "intended to be a serious, artistic work, often experimental and not designed for mass appeal", "made primarily f ...

s, such as

Jang Hoon Jang Hoon (born May 4, 1975) is a Koreans, South Korean film director. He directed the films ''Rough Cut (2008 film), Rough Cut'' (2008), ''Secret Reunion'' (2010), ''The Front Line (2011 film), The Front Line'' (2011), and ''A Taxi Driver '' ...

's ''

Rough Cut In filmmaking, the rough cut is the second of three stages of offline editing. The term originates from the early days of filmmaking when film stock was physically cut and reassembled, but is still used to describe projects that are recorded and e ...

'',

Lee Yoon-ki Lee Yoon-ki (; born 1965), is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. Career Lee Yoon-ki earned his Master of Arts, MA in business administration/economics at the University of Southern California. After returning to Korea, he worked as a ...

's ''

My Dear Enemy ''My Dear Enemy'' (; lit. "One Fine Day") is a road movie starring Jeon Do-yeon and Ha Jung-woo as two ex-lovers who reacquaint themselves while driving around Seoul. The film takes place over one rather uneventful day, and subtle emotions and chem ...

'',

Kim Ki-duk Kim Ki-duk ( ; 20 December 196011 December 2020) was a South Korean film director and screenwriter, noted for his idiosyncratic art-house cinematic works. His films have received many distinctions in the festival circuit, rendering him one of ...

's ''

Dream A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Humans spend about two hours dreaming per night, and each dream lasts around 5 to 20 minutes, althou ...

'', and

E J-yong E J-yong (; born September 5, 1966) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. His feature films include ''An Affair'' (1998), ''Untold Scandal'' (2003), ''Dasepo Naughty Girls'' (2006), and ''Actresses'' (2009). Early life E J-yong (his ...

's ''

Actresses An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), lite ...

''. In 2010, Cho made his directorial debut with ''Second Half'' starring

Ryu Seung-soo Ryu Seung-soo (born August 12, 1971) is a South Korean actor. Ryu made his acting debut in 1997 with a minor role in Park Chan-wook's film ''Trio'', and has been active as a supporting actor on film and television since. Among his notable films a ...

and

Esom Lee So-young (January 30, 1990), known by her stage name Esom, is a South Korean actress and model. Career She gained recognition for her leading role in the 2014 film ''Scarlet Innocence'', for which she was nominated for Best New Actress in ...

, about a beleaguered film producer who meets a waitress in a seaside town and suspects she may be his daughter from a long-ago

one-night stand A one-night stand or one-night sex is a single sexual encounter in which there is an expectation that there shall be no further relations between the sexual participants. It draws its name from the common practice of a one-night stand, a single ...

. Cho's second film ''The Heaven Is Only Open to the Single!'' (2012) is about a famous actress (played by Choi Yoon-so) who's just been publicly dumped by a comedian and banned by her agency from dating, and an unknown indie musician rejected by a matchmaking service who falls for her onscreen while composing the

soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...

for her film. With a cast of real-life Hongdae musicians led by Lee Neung-ryong of the band ''Sister's Barbershop'', Cho interspersed live musical performances into the film. Also released in 2012, Cho's third film ''The Winter of the Year Was Warm'' focuses on a

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...

-based film producer/director who's fond of the laidback atmosphere in the coastal city of

Gangneung Gangneung () is a municipal city in the province of Gangwon-do, on the east coast of South Korea. It has a population of 213,658 (as of 2017).Gangneung City (2003)Population & Households. Retrieved January 14, 2006. Gangneung is the economic ...

, and a nurse who lives in Gangneung but yearns for the cultural life of Seoul; after meeting through a common friend, they each agree to set aside one room in their respective apartments for the other to stay at on weekends, but in sharing their homes with each other, they eventually start to develop a strange sort of in absentia intimacy. The film drew critical acclaim when it premiered at the

17th Busan International Film Festival The 17th Busan International Film Festival was held from October 4 to October 13, 2012 at the Busan Cinema Center and was hosted by Ahn Sung-ki and Chinese actress Tang Wei, who is the first foreign celebrity to host the event. In this year's fes ...

and as it traveled the international film festival circuit, with particular praise for Cho's nuanced script and use of lighting, as well as Kim Tae-woo and

Ye Ji-won Ye Ji-won (born February 1, 1973) is a South Korean actress. Career She is best known for her leading role in the hit sitcom ''Old Miss Diary'', and her more serious turns in Hong Sang-soo Hong Sang-soo (홍상수, born 25 October 1960) is ...

's naturalistic acting. In 2014, Cho cast

Lee Sang-yoon Lee Sang-yoon (; born August 15, 1981) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his starring roles in ''My Daughter Seo-young'' (2012), '' Angel Eyes'' (2014), ''Liar Game'' (2014), ''On the Way to the Airport'' (2016), ''Whisper'' (2017), ...

and

Yoon Jin-seo Yoon Jin-seo (born Yoon Soo-kyung, August 5, 1983) is a South Korean actress. She rose to prominence for her performance as Lee Soo-ah in the 2003 thriller film '' Oldboy'' which earned her the Best New Actress Award at the 40th Baeksang Arts ...

in his fourth film '' Santa Barbara'' (2014). They played, respectively, a

music director A music(al) director or director of music is the person responsible for the musical aspects of a performance, production, or organization. This would include the artistic director and usually chief conductor of an orchestra or concert band, the d ...

and a

creative director A creative director (or creative supervisor) is a person who makes high-level creative decisions and, with those decisions, oversees the creation of creative assets such as advertisements, products, events, or logos. Creative director positions ar ...

at an advertising agency who fall in love while collaborating on a commercial; after their break-up, they are forced to work together again on a project in

Santa Barbara, California Santa Barbara ( es, Santa Bárbara, meaning "Saint Barbara") is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coas ...

, the location of their dream

winery A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feature warehouses, ...

tour Tour or Tours may refer to: Travel * Tourism, travel for pleasure * Tour of duty, a period of time spent in military service * Campus tour, a journey through a college or university's campus * Guided tour, a journey through a location, directed b ...

when they were still a couple. In a departure from his previous films which blended finely-observed realism and light romance, Cho's ''Planck Constant'' (2015) contained more surrealistic and fantasy elements, with

Kim Jae-wook Kim Jae-wook (born April 2, 1983) is a South Korean model and actor. He is best known for his roles in the hit series '' Coffee Prince'' (2007), comedy film ''Antique'' (2008), mystery drama '' Who Are You?'' (2013), thriller ''Voice'' (2017), ...

playing a man who gets his hair cut 1 millimeter a day, while writing a screenplay in his head.

Filmography

As director

*''Second Half'' (2010) (also credited as

voice The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal tract, including talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, shouting, humming or yelling. The human voice frequency is specifically a part of human sound production in ...

cameo) *''The Heaven Is Only Open to the Single!'' (2012) (also credited in

bit part In acting, a bit part is a role in which there is direct interaction with the principal actors and no more than five lines of dialogue, often referred to as a five-or-less or under-five in the United States, or under sixes in British television, ...

) *''The Winter of the Year Was Warm'' (2012) *'' Santa Barbara'' (2014) *''Planck Constant'' (2015) (also credited as

) *''Life Is but an Empty Dream'' (2015) *''Two Rooms, Two Nights'' (2015) * ''Croissant'' (2021)

As screenwriter

*''Second Half'' (2010) *''The Heaven Is Only Open to the Single!'' (2012) *''The Winter of the Year Was Warm'' (2012) *'' Santa Barbara'' (2014) *''Planck Constant'' (2015)

As producer

*''Geochilmaru: The Showdown'' (2005) *''

Tokyo! ''Tokyo!'' is a 2008 anthology film containing three segments written by three non-Japanese directors, all of which were filmed in Tokyo, Japan. Michel Gondry directed "Interior Design", Leos Carax directed "Merde", and Bong Joon-ho directed "Sha ...

'' (2008) *''Planck Constant'' (2015)

As executive producer

*''

Public Toilet A public toilet, restroom, public bathroom or washroom is a room or small building with toilets (or urinals) and sinks for use by the general public. The facilities are available to customers, travelers, employees of a business, school pupils ...

'' (2002) *''Last Scene'' (2005) *''On the Road, Two'' ( documentary, 2006) *''The Wonder Years'' (2007) *''

For Eternal Hearts ''For Eternal Hearts'' () is a 2007 South Korean film. Plot College professor Su-young recounts to his class the tale of his first love. As a student in the 1980s, he meets a wild and eccentric girl who he names "Pippi", and is crushed when she ...

'' (2007) *''

Beautiful Beautiful, an adjective used to describe things as possessing beauty, may refer to: Film and theater * ''Beautiful'' (2000 film), an American film directed by Sally Field * ''Beautiful'' (2008 film), a South Korean film directed by Juhn Jai-h ...

'' (2008) *''

'' (2008) *''Iri'' (2008) *''Oishii Man'' (2009) *''

A Million ''A Million'' () is 2009 South Korean thriller film. Plot Eight people enter a reality TV show to win (approximately ) if they survive 7 days in the Australian Outback. But they don't know the game is murderous trap by an insane TV director. Cas ...

'' (2009) (also credited with original idea) *''The Executioner'' (2009) *''Looking for My Wife'' (2010) *''Second Half'' (2010) *''The Winter of the Year Was Warm'' (2012)

As investor

*''

April Snow ''April Snow'' (; lit. "Outing" or "Going Out") is a 2005 South Korean romantic drama film co-written and directed by Hur Jin-ho, starring Bae Yong-joon and Son Ye-jin. Plot In-su and Seo-young meet in a hospital after their respective spouses w ...

'' (2005) *''

Ad-lib Night ''Ad-lib Night'' (; lit. "A Very Special Guest") is the third film by South Korean director Lee Yoon-ki. A group of boys from the country who have come to Seoul to find the runaway daughter of a dying man to be with him on his death bed. The film ...

'' (2006) *''Chongqing'' (2008) *''

Antique An antique ( la, antiquus; 'old', 'ancient') is an item perceived as having value because of its aesthetic or historical significance, and often defined as at least 100 years old (or some other limit), although the term is often used loosely ...

'' (2008) *''

Portrait of a Beauty ''Portrait of a Beauty'' () is a 2008 South Korean film directed by Jeon Yun-su. Adapted from the bestselling novel ''Painter of the Wind'' () by Lee Jung-myung, the film portrays Joseon-era painter Sin Yun-bok (better known by his pen name, Hy ...

'' (2008) *''

Hello, Schoolgirl ''Hello, Schoolgirl'' (; literally " pure/romantic comic," the Korean version of shōjo manga) is a 2008 South Korean film. Adapted from '' Love Story'', a popular webtoon by Kang Full, it is the second film directed by Ryu Jang-ha. It stars Yoo J ...

'' (2008) *''

Romantic Island ''Romantic Island'' () is a 2008 South Korean romantic comedy film set in Boracay, Philippines. Plot Six Koreans from Seoul travel separately to the Philippines: a middle-aged couple on their first trip overseas with the terminally ill husband pl ...

'' (2008) *''

A Frozen Flower ''A Frozen Flower'' () is a 2008 South Korean erotic historical film. It is directed by Yoo Ha and stars Zo In-sung, Joo Jin-mo and Song Ji-hyo. The historical film is set during Goryeo Dynasty and is loosely based on the reign of Gongmin of Gorye ...

'' (2008) *''

The Naked Kitchen ''The Naked Kitchen'' (; lit. "Kitchen") is a 2009 South Korean film written and directed by Hong Ji-young. Starring Shin Min-ah, Ju Ji-hoon, and Kim Tae-woo, the film is a romantic comedy-drama about a very curious ménage à trois. Plot Ahn Mo- ...

'' (2009) *'' The Scam'' (2009) *''

My Girlfriend Is an Agent ''My Girlfriend Is An Agent'' (; lit. "7th Level Civil Servant") is a 2009 South Korean romantic action comedy film directed by Shin Tae-ra and starring Kim Ha-neul and Kang Ji-hwan. The film had 4,078,293 admissions nationwide and was the 4th m ...

'' (2009) *''

Running Turtle ''Running Turtle'' () is a 2009 South Korean film about a countryside detective trying to capture a legendary prison breaker. Released on June 11, 2009, it was directed by Lee Yeon-woo and starred Kim Yoon-seok and Jung Kyung-ho. Plot Jo Pil-s ...

'' (2009) *''

The Case of Itaewon Homicide ''The Case of Itaewon Homicide'' ( ko, 이태원 살인사건; translit. Itaewon Salinsageon) is a 2009 South Korean film, based on the true story of the Itaewon murder case, which shocked Korea when Hongik college student Cho Jung-Pil was fo ...

'' (2009) *''

City of Fathers ''City of Fathers'' () is a 2009 South Korean film written and directed by Park Ji-won. Plot Kang-soo is a third-rate street thug in Busan; he's an alcoholic and gambling addict who's always on the run from loan sharks. But when his rebellious te ...

'' (2009) *''The Executioner'' (2009) *''

'' (2009) *''Vegetarian'' (2010) *''Looking for My Wife'' (2010) *''No Doubt'' (2010) *''Super Monkey Returns'' (2011) *''Head'' (2011) *''Venus in Furs'' (2012) *''Tumbleweed'' (2013)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cho, David 1969 births Living people South Korean film producers South Korean film directors South Korean screenwriters Yonsei University alumni