Lee Don-ku (born February 10, 1984) 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 ...

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. ...

and

actor 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 (), li ...

. He wrote and directed ''Fatal'' (2013) and ''Entangled'' (2014).

Career

Lee Don-ku, then a high school student, made his acting debut in 2001 in the leading role of Cheol-min in

hip-hop dance Hip hop dance is a range of street dance styles primarily performed to hip hop music or that have evolved as part of hip hop culture. It is influenced by a wide range of styles that were created in the 1970s and made popular by dance crews in ...

movie ''Turn It Up''. He majored in Theater at

Dong-ah Institute of Media and Arts Dong-ah Institute of Media and Arts (formerly known as Dong-Ah Broadcasting College) is a technical college in South Korea specialized in training professionals in the fields of media design, production, and communications. The campus is situate ...

, and after college, gained further acting experience 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'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...

Daehangno Daehangno (Hangul:대학로 Hanja:, lit. "college street") is a Neighbourhoods of Seoul, neighborhood in Seoul north of the Han River (Korea), Han River within Jongno-gu and Seodaemun-gu. Formerly known as Sunggyobang (Hangul:숭교방 Hanja:), ...

theater district by starring in stage plays such as ''Hohwanmama'' and ''Grandfather's Case''. But when Lee's graduation

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 ...

''I Solve Everything Whatever'' (also known as ''We Will Do Your Favor'') won the Audience Award at the Indie Boom Online Independent Film Festival in 2006, he switched his focus to directing. He subsequently directed the shorts ''Life of Dog'' and ''Help'' (both in 2009), while working for

Cube Entertainment Cube Entertainment Inc. () is a South Korean entertainment company. The company operates as a record label, talent agency, music production company, event management and concert production company, and music publishing house. Cube are known for h ...

as head of their media division. To finance his

feature Feature may refer to: Computing * Feature (CAD), could be a hole, pocket, or notch * Feature (computer vision), could be an edge, corner or blob * Feature (software design) is an intentional distinguishing characteristic of a software item ...

directorial debut, Lee then worked as a

bathhouse Public baths originated when most people in population centers did not have access to private bathing facilities. Though termed "public", they have often been restricted according to gender, religious affiliation, personal membership, and other cr ...

attendant and handed out flyers on street corners, thereby raising the micro-budget of . He cast his close friend

Nam Yeon-woo Nam Yeon-woo (born October 9, 1982) is a South Korean actor. Nam played his first leading role in a feature film in Lee Don-ku's indie Indie is a short form of "independence" or "independent"; it may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media ...

as a 28-year-old man who is haunted by his complicity in a teenage girl's gang rape a decade ago, then re-encounters her (played by Yang Jo-ah) at a local church. After two years in development, Lee's ''Fatal'' (titled ''Thorny Flower'' in

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula * Korean cuisine * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl **Korean dialects and the Jeju language ** ...

) 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 ...

in 2012 and was released in theaters in 2013. A romantic

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...

and

psychological thriller Psychological thriller is a genre combining the thriller and psychological fiction genres. It is commonly used to describe literature or films that deal with psychological narratives in a thriller or thrilling setting. In terms of context and co ...

that explores guilt and forgiveness, ''Fatal'' drew domestic and international critical acclaim. His second feature “Entangled” followed in 2014. Starring

Kim Young-ae Kim Young-ae (; 21 April 1951 – 9 April 2017) was a South Korean actress. Career Kim Young-ae began her acting career when she joined MBC's 3rd Open Recruitment in 1971. She made her acting debut in the TV police procedural ''Chief Inspe ...

Do Ji-won Do Ji-won ( ko, 도지원; born February 14, 1966) is a South Korean actress. She is best known for her roles in ''Ladies of the Palace'' (2001), ''Punch Lady'' (2007), and '' Smile Again'' (2010). Career Upon her graduation as a dance major fro ...

Song Il-gook Song Il-kook (; born 1 October 1971) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his role in the 2006 hit drama series ''Jumong'' as the titular character. Early life and education Song is the grandson of politician Kim Du-han, great grandson ...

and

Kim So-eun Kim So-eun (born September 6, 1989) is a South Korean actress. She rose to fame in 2009 in the popular television drama ''Boys Over Flowers''. She has since starred in ''Happiness in the Wind'' (2010), '' A Thousand Kisses'' (2011–12), ''Liar ...

, ''Entangled'' is a portrait of a family in the aftermath of the tragic, accidental death of a newborn baby at the hands of the

Alzheimer's Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As t ...

-afflicted matriarch.

Filmography

*''Turn It Up'' (2001) -

*''I Solve Everything Whatever'' (

, 2006) -

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 ...

*''Life of Dog'' (short film, 2009) - director, screenwriter *''Help'' (short film, 2009) - director, screenwriter *''Fatal'' (2013) - director, screenwriter,

editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, orga ...

*''Entangled'' (2014) - director, screenwriter *''Fanfate'' (2020) - director, screenwriter *'' When Spring Comes'' (2022) - director, screenwriter

Awards

*2014 1st

Wildflower Film Awards The Wildflower Film Awards () is an awards ceremony recognizing the achievements of Korean independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist ...

: Best New Director (''Fatal'')

References

External links

* * * 1984 births Living people South Korean film directors South Korean screenwriters South Korean male film actors South Korean male stage actors Dong-ah Institute of Media and Arts alumni {{SouthKorea-film-director-stub