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 his films. Kim also pays careful attention to the release of his films on DVD and goes to greater than usual lengths to package them with extensive documentary materials and revealing commentary tracks. Kim is growing substantially both as a director and a visual stylist as demonstrated by two of his most recent films '' A Tale of Two Sisters'' and ''

A Bittersweet Life ''A Bittersweet Life'' (; lit. "The Sweet Life") is a 2005 South Korean neo-noir action drama film written and directed by Kim Jee-woon. It stars Lee Byung-hun as Sun-woo, a hitman who becomes targeted by his boss after he spares the latter's che ...

'' both of which were received as critical and commercial successes. In 2010 Kim directed the thriller ''

I Saw the Devil ''I Saw the Devil'' () is a 2010 South Korean action thriller film directed by Kim Jee-woon and written by Park Hoon-jung. Starring Lee Byung-hun and Choi Min-sik, the film follows NIS agent Kim Soo-hyun (Lee), who embarks on a quest of revenge ...

'', the cast of which includes

Choi Min-sik Choi Min-sik (born April 27, 1962) is a South Korean actor. He received critical acclaim for his roles in '' Oldboy'' (2003), ''I Saw the Devil'' (2010) and '' The Admiral: Roaring Currents'' (2014). For his role in ''Oldboy'', he won the Best ...

(which he worked with previously on his film '' The Quiet Family'') and Lee Byung-hun (whom he worked with previously on '' The Good, the Bad, the Weird'' and ''

''). Kim's next film was his US debut, featuring the return of

Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July 30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, film producer, businessman, retired professional bodybuilder and politician who served as the 38th governor of California between 2003 and 2011. ''Time'' ...

to lead acting roles, '' The Last Stand'', for

Lionsgate Films Lionsgate Films (formerly known as Cinépix Film Properties) is an American film production and film distribution studio, headquartered in Santa Monica and founded in Canada, and is the flagship division of Lionsgate Entertainment. It is the la ...

. The film also starred

Johnny Knoxville Philip John Clapp (born March 11, 1971), best known professionally as Johnny Knoxville, is an American stunt performer, actor, writer, producer, and professional wrestler. He is best known as a co-creator and star of the MTV reality stunt show ...

Forest Whitaker Forest Steven Whitaker (born July 15, 1961) is an American actor. He is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a British Academy Film Award, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. After making his f ...

Peter Stormare Rolf Peter Ingvar Storm (born August 27, 1953), better known as Peter Stormare (), is a Swedish actor who holds both Swedish and American citizenship. He played Gaear Grimsrud in the film '' Fargo'' (1996) and John Abruzzi in the television ser ...

, and

Daniel Henney Daniel Phillip Henney (born November 28, 1979) is an American actor and model. He first came into international prominence with his television debut as Dr. Henry Kim on the Korean drama '' My Lovely Sam Soon'' (2005). He has gone on to star in ...

. After his US debut, Kim returned to Korea to produce " Illang: The Wolf Brigade" based upon Mamoru Oshii's anime " Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade".

''The Quiet Family''

In 1998, Kim directed and wrote 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

(whom he would later collaborate with in ''

'') and Song Kang-ho (whom he would later collaborate with in '' The Foul King'' and '' The Good, the Bad, the Weird''). 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 The Sitges Film Festival ( ca, Festival Internacional de Cinema Fantàstic de Catalunya, links=no) is an annual film festival held in Sitges, Spain, specialized in fantasy and horror films, of which it is considered one of the world's foremost in ...

''The Foul King''

In 2000, Kim directed and wrote his second feature film, '' The Foul King'' (2000), re-uniting again 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, however. The film won Best Director at the 2001 Milan International Film Festival, and an Audience Award at the Udine Far East Film Festival.

''Coming Out'' (short film)

In 2001, Kim directed and wrote a short film entitled ''

Coming Out Coming out of the closet, often shortened to coming out, is a metaphor used to describe LGBT people's self-disclosure of their sexual orientation, romantic orientation, or gender identity. Framed and debated as a privacy issue, coming out of ...

'' (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 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."

''Memories'' segment in ''Three''

Kim next wrote and directed the "Memories" segment in the omnibus film, ''

Three 3 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 3, three, or III may also refer to: * AD 3, the third year of the AD era * 3 BC, the third year before the AD era * March, the third month Books * '' Three of Them'' (Russian: ', literally, "three"), a 1901 ...

'' (also known as Three Extremes II), also featuring segments directed by

Peter Chan Peter Ho-sun Chan (born 28 November 1962) is a film director and producer. Early life Chan was born in British Hong Kong to parents China. He and his family moved to Thailand when he was 12, where he grew up amongst the international Chine ...

and

Nonzee Nimibutr Nonzee Nimibutr ( th, นนทรีย์ นิมิบุตร, ; born in 1962 in Nonthaburi Province, Thailand) is a Thai film director, film producer and screenwriter. Best known for his ghost thriller, '' Nang Nak'', he is generally cred ...

. The segment starred

Kim Hye-soo Kim Hye-soo (; born September 5, 1970) is a South Korean actress. Kim was one of the most popular teen stars in the 1980s and 1990s. She is known for her headstrong independence and regularly playing strong-willed, sophisticated women. Kim bega ...

''A Tale of Two Sisters''

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 Fantasia International Film Festival (also known as Fantasia-fest, FanTasia, and Fant-Asia) is a film festival that has been based mainly in Montreal since its founding in 1996. Regularly held in July of each year, it is valued by both hardcore ...

(most popular film), Best Actress (Su-jeong Lim), Best Director and Best Film at the Fantasporto, Best Picture at

Screamfest Horror Film Festival Screamfest Horror Film Festival is a horror film festival founded by film producers Rachel Belofsky and Ross Martin in August 2001. It runs over ten days during the month of October and is hosted at the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres in Los Angeles, ...

, Grand Prize and the Youth Jury Grand Prize at the Gerardmer Film Festival, and acting awards for Su-jeong Lim and Jung-ah Yum 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 popu ...

and the

Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival The Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFFF), previously named Brussels International Festival of Fantastic Film (french: Festival international du film fantastique de Bruxelles, nl, Internationaal Festival van de Fantastische Fil ...

. The film was later remade into the 2009 U.S. film '' The Uninvited'', starring

Emily Browning Emily Jane Browning
. Celebritywonder, retrieved 30 June 2011 (born 7 December 1988

, with Kim being credited with an original story/writer credit.

''A Bittersweet Life''

In 2005, Kim wrote and directed ''

'' (2005), his first collaboration with actor Lee Byung-hun (whom he would later work with in '' The Good, the Bad, the Weird'' and ''

''). The film was an ultra-stylish and ultra-violent gangster and mobster picture that was both a critical and commercial success in South Korea. Lee Byung-hun won Best Actor at the

Baeksang Arts Awards The Baeksang Arts Awards (), also known as the Paeksang Arts Awards, are awards for excellence in film, television and theatre in South Korea. The awards were first introduced in 1965 by Chang Key-young, the founder of the Hankook Ilbo newspap ...

and

Hwang Jung-min Hwang Jung-min (born September 1, 1970) is a South Korean actor. He is one of the highest-grossing actors in South Korea, and has starred in several box office hits such as '' Ode to My Father'' (2014), ''Veteran'' (2015), '' The Himalayas'' (20 ...

won a Best Supporting Actor award at Korea's

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 ...

. Kim also won the "Action Asia Award" at the 2006 Deauville Asian Film Festival.

''The Good, The Bad, The Weird''

In 2008, Kim wrote and directed '' The Good, the Bad, the Weird'' (2008), his tribute to spaghetti westerns, westerns and western action films. 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 The Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA) is an international cultural initiative overseen by the Asia Pacific Screen Academy and headquartered in Australia. In order to realise UNESCO's goals of promoting and preserving the different cultures th ...

, won Best Supporting Actor for

Jung Woo-sung Jung Woo-sung (born March 20, 1973) is a South Korean actor and the first Korean UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador. Jung started his career as a fashion model, rising to stardom and teenage cult status with the gangster movie '' Beat'' (1997), for which ...

(the "Good") at the 2009

Asian Film Awards Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, and won Best Director and Best Special Effects at the 2008

''I Saw The Devil''

In 2010, Kim directed, based on a screenplay from Hoon-jung Park, ''

'' (2010), re-uniting with actors

and Lee Byung-hun. 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

, Best Foreign Language film from the

Austin Film Critics Association The Austin Film Critics Association (AFCA) is an organization of professional film critics from Austin, Texas. Each year, the AFCA votes on their end-of-year awards for films released in the same calendar year. A special award, the Austin Film ...

and Best Editing from the 2011

''Doomsday Book''

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 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 ...

'' (

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 directi ...

directed the other two segments). The film won Best International Film at the

Fantasia Festival Fantasia International Film Festival (also known as Fantasia-fest, FanTasia, and Fant-Asia) is a film festival that has been based mainly in Montreal since its founding in 1996. Regularly held in July of each year, it is valued by both hardcore ...

and a Special Award at the

Toronto After Dark Film Festival Toronto After Dark Film Festival is a showcase of horror, sci-fi, action and cult cinema held annually in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The festival premieres a diverse selection of feature-length and short-films from around the world including n ...

''The Last Stand''

In 2013, Kim made his U.S. feature directorial debut with the action film, '' The Last Stand'', starring

, and more.

''The X''

In 2013, Kim premiered his short, ''The X'', in the Gala Presentation category 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 festiv ...

''The Age of Shadows''

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 Lee Jin-sook (; born 17 June 1960) is a South Korean professor of architectural engineering at Chungnam National University (CNU) currently serving as its 19th president - the first woman to become the president of CNU and any Flagship Korean Nat ...

, 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 ''The Age of Shadows'' (; lit. "Emissary") is a 2016 South Korean period action thriller film directed by Kim Jee-woon and written by Lee Ji-min and Park Jong-dae. The film is set in Shanghai and Seoul in the 1920s and stars Song Kang-ho and Gon ...

''Illang: The Wolf Brigade''

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''

''Dr. Brain'' (Apple TV+ original)

In May 2019,

YG Entertainment YG Entertainment Inc. () is a South Korean multinational entertainment agency established in 1996 by Yang Hyun-suk. The company operates as a record label, talent agency, music production company, event management and concert production comp ...

's drama production subsidiary YG STUDIOPLEX announced that Kim will direct the company's adaptation of the Daum

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 ...

''Dr. Brain'', created by Mister Hong. In October 2020, several Korean news outlets reported that the adaptation was picked up by

Apple TV+ Apple TV+ is an American subscription streaming service owned and operated by Apple Inc. Launched on November 1, 2019, it offers a selection of original production film and television series called Apple Originals. The service was announced ...

, becoming the latter's first

Korean language Korean (South Korean: , ''hangugeo''; North Korean: , ''chosŏnmal'') is the native language for about 80 million people, mostly of Korean descent. It is the official and national language of both North Korea and South Korea (geographica ...

original series Original programming (also called originals or original programs, and subcategorized as "original series", "original movies", "original documentaries" and "original specials") is a term used for in-house television, film or web series productions ...

. Titled ''Dr. Brain'', it will have six episodes aimed for broadcast in 2021.

Future projects

In October 2013, it was announced that Kim is set to direct the movie adaptation of

Ed Brubaker Ed Brubaker (; born November 17, 1966) is an American comic book writer, cartoonist and screenwriter who works primarily in the crime fiction genre. He began his career with the semi-autobiographical series '' Lowlife'' and a number of serials i ...

's pulp crime comic ''Coward''.Venable, Nick.
The Last Stand's Kim Jee-Woon Will Direct Ed Brubaker's Pulp Crime Comic Coward
. Cinema Blend, 4 October 2013. Retrieved on 10 October 2013.

Filmography

Feature films

Short films

Recurring cast

References

External links

*

Kim Jee-woon interview – Future Movies
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kim, Jee-woon South Korean film directors South Korean screenwriters 1964 births Living people People from Seoul Horror film directors International Writing Program alumni Best Director Paeksang Arts Award (film) winners