Han Jae-rim (born July 14, 1975) 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, p ...

. He directed ''

Rules of Dating ''Rules of Dating'' (; lit. “The Purpose of Love”) is a 2005 South Korean film starring Park Hae-il and Kang Hye-jung, and is the directorial debut of filmmaker Han Jae-rim. Plot Lee Yu-rim is a high school English teacher. He's cute, clever ...

'' (2005), ''

The Show Must Go On "The show must go on" is a phrase in show business, meaning that regardless of what happens, whatever show has been planned still has to be staged for the waiting patrons. There is no evidence to suggest that it is the abbreviation of a longer phra ...

'' (2007), ''

The Face Reader ''The Face Reader'' (; lit. "Physiognomy") is a 2013 South Korean film starring Song Kang-ho as the son of a disgraced noble family who goes around Joseon and a ''gwansang'' expert. He is able to assess the personality, mental state and habits of ...

'' (2013), '' The King'' (2017), and '' Emergency Declaration'' (2021).

Career

Born in 1975, Han Jae-rim graduated from

Seoul Institute of the Arts Seoul Institute of the Arts is a prominent educational institution specializing in the Arts located in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. The school has nurtured many graduates who are actively working in art related fields within Korea as w ...

in 1998. He began his filmmaking career in 2003 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 to tak ...

and script editor for Min Byung-chun's ''

Natural City ''Natural City'' () is a 2003 South Korean science fiction film, set in a dystopianNatural City Review

''. Han was the runner-up for Best Screenplay at the Korean Film Council (KOFIC) Screenplay Contest in 2003 with ''To Do or Not to Do'', which he had co-written with Go Yoon-hee. Retitled ''

'', it became his directorial debut in 2005. Featuring sexually frank dialogue between teacher colleagues played by

Park Hae-il Park Hae-il (born 26 January 1977) is a South Korean actor. He began his acting career in theater, but soon gained the film industry's attention in 2003 with ''Jealousy Is My Middle Name'' and ''Memories of Murder''. Park's film career took off, ...

and

Kang Hye-jung Kang Hye-jung (born January 4, 1982) is a South Korean actress. Making her film debut in arthouse film ''Nabi'' (2001), she rose to stardom and critical acclaim in Park Chan-wook's 2003 revenge thriller '' Oldboy''. A rising star early in her c ...

, the film explored controversial

gender politics Identity politics is a political approach wherein people of a particular race, nationality, religion, gender, sexual orientation, social background, social class, or other identifying factors develop political agendas that are based upon these i ...

sexual harassment Sexual harassment is a type of harassment involving the use of explicit or implicit sexual overtones, including the unwelcome and inappropriate promises of rewards in exchange for sexual favors. Sexual harassment includes a range of actions fro ...

and

moral relativism Moral relativism or ethical relativism (often reformulated as relativist ethics or relativist morality) is used to describe several philosophical positions concerned with the differences in moral judgments across different peoples and cultures. ...

in a cynical and unsettling take on the

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typica ...

. ''Rules of Dating'' drew critical praise and became a

sleeper hit In the entertainment industry, a sleeper hit is a film, television series, music release, video game, or some other entertainment product that was initially unsuccessful on release but became a success later on. A sleeper hit may have little promo ...

with 1.6 million admissions. Han won Best Screenplay at the

Blue Dragon Film Awards The Blue Dragon Film Awards () is an annual awards ceremony that is presented by ''Sports Chosun'' (a sister brand of the ''Chosun Ilbo'') for excellence in film in South Korea. The Blue Dragon Film Awards considers only blockbusters and popula ...

, along with Best New Director at the

Busan Film Critics Awards Established in 2000, the Busan Film Critics Awards is run by the Busan Film Critics Association (BCFA), a small but independent-minded group of critics based in Busan, South Korea. Each year they announce their choices shortly before the opening o ...

and the

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 ...

. Han,

Kim Jee-woon Kim Jee-woon (; born July 6, 1964) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. Career Kim started out directing theater but has worked with increasing levels of success in cinema, showing accomplished acting and a detailed stylization in ...

and

Yim Pil-sung Yim Pil-sung (born May 13, 1972) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. He wrote and directed ''Antarctic Journal'' (2005), ''Hansel and Gretel'' (2007), and ''Scarlet Innocence'' (2014). Career Short films Yim Pil-sung began directin ...

then signed on to each shoot a

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 ...

for the omnibus ''

Doomsday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...

'' in 2006. Han's segment "The Christmas Gift" was supposed to have been a

science-fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel univers ...

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...

retelling of O. Henry's ''

The Gift of the Magi "The Gift of the Magi" is a short story by O. Henry first published in 1905. The story tells of a young husband and wife and how they deal with the challenge of buying secret Christmas gifts for each other with very little money. As a sentimental ...

'', but it was never shot after financing fell through. The film was later released in 2012, but without Han's involvement (Kim and Yim co-directed the third short with a completely new script). In 2007, he wrote and directed his second film, ''

''. Starring Korea's top actor

Song Kang-ho Song Kang-ho (born January 17, 1967) is a South Korean actor. Song made his film debut in ''The Day a Pig Fell into the Well'' (1996), and came to national prominence with a series of critically acclaimed performances, including ''No. 3'' (1997) ...

as a mid-level

gangster A gangster is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Most gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from ''mob'' and the suffix '' -ster''. Gangs provide a level of organization and ...

dealing with family and work troubles, Han injected off-kilter comedy and pathos into the Korean

film noir Film noir (; ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American ' ...

genre. ''The Show Must Go On'' won Best Film at the

and the

Korean Association of Film Critics Awards The Korean Association of Film Critics Awards (), also known as the Critics Choice Awards (), is an annual awards ceremony for excellence in film in South Korea. It was established in 1980 by the Korean Association of Film Critics (KAFC). The c ...

. Han entered pre-production for his purported third film, ''Trace'' in 2009. Based on the

webtoon Webtoons (), are a type of digital comic that originated in South Korea usually meant to be read on smartphones. While webtoons were mostly unknown outside of Korea during their inception, there has been a surge in popularity internationally ...

of the same title, it follows a young man who wakes up from a coma with superpowers after an assault that took his father's life. But despite winning the Kodak Award (with a cash prize of ) at the

Busan International Film Festival The Busan International Film Festival (BIFF, previously Pusan International Film Festival, PIFF), held annually in Haeundae-gu, Busan (''also'' Pusan), South Korea, is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia. The first festi ...

's Pusan Promotion Plan, Han was unable to secure financing for the blockbuster, and the project was shelved. Six years after his last completed film, Han returned to the big screen in 2013 with

period drama A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romance film, romances, adventure f ...

''. The film delved into the philosophical question whether character determines fate or vice versa, in a story about a

Joseon Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and re ...

fortuneteller skilled in

physiognomy Physiognomy (from the Greek , , meaning "nature", and , meaning "judge" or "interpreter") is the practice of assessing a person's character or personality from their outer appearance—especially the face. The term can also refer to the general ...

who becomes swept up in court intrigues and power struggles. Again starring Song Kang-ho as the titular character opposite

Lee Jung-jae Lee Jung-jae (; born December 15, 1972) is a South Korean actor and filmmaker. Considered one of the most successful actors in South Korea, he has received various accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a Cr ...

as the ambitious Grand Prince Suyang, ''The Face Reader'' scored 9.1 million admissions at the local box office, making it the 13th highest grossing Korean film of all time. It won six trophies at the

50th Grand Bell Awards The 50th Grand Bell Awards (), also known as Daejong Film Awards, are determined and presented annually by The Motion Pictures Association of Korea for excellence in film in South Korea. The Grand Bell Awards were first presented in 1962 and have g ...

, including Best Film and Best Director for Han. Han also produced Roh Deok's films ''

Very Ordinary Couple ''Very Ordinary Couple'' () is a 2013 South Korean romantic comedy film written and directed by Roh Deok (alternatively spelled Noh Deok), starring Kim Min-hee and Lee Min-ki as a recently separated couple who, being employees at the same bank, m ...

'' (2013) and ''Journalist'' (2015).

Filmography

*''

Natural City ''Natural City'' () is a 2003 South Korean science fiction film, set in a dystopianNatural City Review

'' (2003) -

, script editor *''

'' (2005) -

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 * ''D ...

, script editor *''

'' (2007) - director,

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. ...

*''

'' (2013) - producer *''

'' (2013) - director, script editor *''Journalist'' (2015) - producer *'' The King'' (2017) - director, screenwriter *'' Emergency Declaration'' (2021) - director, screenwriter

Awards

*2005

26th Blue Dragon Film Awards The 26th Blue Dragon Film Awards ceremony was held on November 29, 2005 at the KBS Hall in Yeouido, Seoul, South Korea. Hosted by actors Jung Joon-ho and Kim Hye-soo Kim Hye-soo (; born September 5, 1970) is a South Korean actress. Kim was one ...

: Best Screenplay (''

'') *2005 6th

: Best New Director (''

'') *2006

43rd Grand Bell Awards The 43rd Grand Bell Awards ceremony was held at the COEX Convention Hall in 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'' capita ...

: Best New Director (''

'') *2013

: Best Director (''

'') *2017

54th Grand Bell Awards The 54th Grand Bell Awards (), also known as Daejong Film Awards, are determined and presented annually by The Motion Pictures Association of Korea for excellence in film in South Korea. The Grand Bell Awards were first presented in 1962 and have ...

: Best Screenplay ('' The King'')

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Han, Jae-rim 1975 births Living people South Korean film directors South Korean screenwriters South Korean film producers Seoul Institute of the Arts alumni People from Jeju Province