Choi Dong-hoon

Career

After graduating from the prestigious Korean Academy of Film Arts, Choi Dong-hoon first worked as an assistant director on Im Sang-soo's Tears (he subsequently appeared in acting cameos in several of Im's films).

After working on the screenplay for two years, Choi made his feature film directorial debut in 2004 with The Big Swindle and single-handedly re-imagined the heist and crime thriller genre into something uniquely Korean. His follow-up Tazza: The High Rollers, a gambling flick adapted from Huh Young-man and Kim Se-yeong's manhwa, was the second highest grossing Korean film of 2006, and producer/Sidus FNH CEO Cha Seung-jae praised Choi as "a genius storyteller for his spectacular ability to develop elaborate stories." 2009's Jeon Woo-chi: The Taoist Wizard was lauded as the first Korean fantasy/superhero blockbuster movie, earning Choi a reputation as an artistically innovative and commercially successful writer-director.

He returned to the heist genre in 2012 with the star-studded crime caper The Thieves, which attracted almost 13 million viewers in 70 days to become the second all-time highest grossing movie in Korean film history. Tazza and Thieves leading lady Kim Hye-soo described him as "a genius who also works extremely hard. I think he knows who he is, the exact kind of films that he wants to make, and how to make them."

Choi made his first period film with 2015's Assassination, about freedom fighters during Japan's colonial rule, and it was once again a box office hit, crossing the 10 million admissions milestone on the 70th anniversary of South Korean independence.

In 2017, Choi began production on his next film Wiretap, a remake of the 2009 Hong Kong film Overheard. However, production was halted so Kim Woo Bin could undergo treatment for cancer. At the end of 2019, the director was then reported to be working on a two-part science fiction film. The first part titled Alienoid which depicts a story unfolding as the door of time open between late Goryeo and the present day, when aliens appear, was released in July 2022.

Filmography

As director

• A Short Trip (short film, director; 2000)
• The Big Swindle (director, screenwriter; 2004)
• Tazza: The High Rollers (director, screenwriter; 2006)
• Jeon Woo-chi: The Taoist Wizard (director, screenwriter; 2009)
• The Thieves (director, screenwriter; 2012)
• Assassination (director, screenwriter, producer; 2015)
• Alienoid (director, screenwriter, producer; 2022)
• Alienoid: Return to the Future (director, screenwriter, producer; 2024)
• Wiretap (director, screenwriter; TBA)

Other

• Tears (assistant director, cameo; 2000)
• A Good Lawyer's Wife (cameo; 2003)
• Boy Goes to Heaven (screenwriter; 2005)
• The President's Last Bang (cameo; 2005)
• The Restless (screenwriter; 2006)

Awards

Notes

References

References

1. (August 16, 2015). "Film auteur Choi sets milestones with well-crafted plots, dialogues".
2. "CHOI Dong-hoon". Korean Film Biz Zone.
3. (10 May 2012). "The Caper Film King Is Back with The Thieves - CHOI DONG-HOON". Korean Cinema Today.
4. (14 August 2012). "''The Thieves'' Takes Box Office by Storm with Nearly 10 Million Viewers". [[The Chosun Ilbo]].
5. Kwaak, Je-yup. (23 July 2012). "'Actor and director are like husband and wife'". [[The Korea Times]].
6. Cho, Jae-eun. (12 June 2012). "''The Thieves'' all-star cast set to steal show". [[Korea JoongAng Daily]].
7. (31 August 2012). "''The Thieves'' now 2nd top-selling Korean film". [[The Korea Herald]].
8. Lee, Claire. (21 August 2012). "Newsmaker: Director Choi Dong-hun steals show with ''The Thieves''". [[The Korea Herald]].
9. Baek, Byung-yeul. (23 June 2015). "''Thieves'' director returns with thriller".
10. Lee, Hyo-won. (18 August 2015). "South Korea Box Office: Local Action Movie ''Assassination'' On Top, Becomes Biggest Film of 2015".
11. (4 April 2017). "Kim Woo-bin considers joining Wiretap's cast full of Thieves and Assassins".
12. (6 July 2017). "Kim Woo Bin puts all his projects on hold to concentrate completely on treatment".
13. (19 October 2019). "Blockbuster Director Choi Dong-hoon to Return with a 2-Part Sci-Fi Film".
14. (2022-06-13). "Choi Dong-hoon's 'Alienoid Part 1' to hit theaters on July 20". [[Korea JoongAng Daily]].
15. "The War of Flower - Awards".
16. "Newport Beach Film Festival Newport Beach, USA 2007 Awards".
17. Lee, Claire. (30 October 2012). "''Gwanghae'' sweeps Daejong Film Awards". [[The Korea Herald]].
18. Ji, Yong-jin. (4 December 2012). "PIETA Wins Best Picture at Blue Dragon Awards". Korean Film Council.
19. "Winners - Film category". 20th KCEA Awards.
20. Hicap, Jonathan M.. (5 April 2013). "49th Baeksang Arts Awards nominees revealed". [[Manila Bulletin]].
21. Conran, Pierce. (2 November 2015). "THE THRONE Tops Korean Association of Film Critics Awards".