Lee Chang-Dong
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Profile
- Name Lee Chang-Dong
- Hangul: 이창동
- Birthdate: April 1, 1954
- Birthplace: Daegu, South Korea
- Height:
- Blood Type:
Life and Career
A successful novelist and screenwriter before becoming a director, Lee Chang-dong came late to filmmaking, but quickly established himself as one of Korea's most talented directors. He studied Korean literature at Kyungpuk National University, where he directed and acted in numerous plays. He graduated in 1980 and published his first novel, Chonri, in 1983. In the early '90s, he co-wrote, with director Park Kwang-su, two pivotal films of the Korean New Wave: To the Starry Island (1993) and A Single Spark (1996). Now an established figure in the Korean cinema community, Lee was encouraged by his colleagues to become a director (they even formed a mock committee dedicated to the cause.) His first film, Green Fish (1997), a critique of Korean society told through the eyes of a young man who becomes enmeshed in the criminal underworld, won awards at the Rotterdam and Vancouver Film Festivals. His next film, Peppermint Candy (2000), took an even broader and bitterer view of Korea's recent history. It tells its story backwards, covering 20 twenty years in the life of a man progressively ruined by his experiences in the military, law enforcement, and business worlds. Fueled by its powerful performances, unique narrative structure, and strong social critique, it was widely praised both in Korea and abroad. He was so impressed with the work of two of the film's actors, Sol Kyung-gu and Moon So-ri, that he cast them in much more demanding roles in his next film, Oasis (2002), as a mentally disabled man and a woman afflicted with cerebral palsy who fall in love. Less overtly political than his previous films, it nevertheless garnered him even more international recognition, winning five awards at the Venice Film Festival. His last film, Secret Sunshine (2007) won Best Actress Award in Cannes.
Notes
- Sat as jury member for the 12th (2007) Pusan International Film Festival's "New Currents" section.
- Participated in the "Master Class" program for the 2010 (10th) International Film Festival of Marrakech.
Director
- Poetry | Shi (2010)
- Secret Sunshine (2007)
- Oasis (2002)
- Peppermint Candy (2000)
- Green Fish (1997)
Producer
- A Brand New Life | Yeohaengja (2009)
- Secret Sunshine (2007)
- Never Forever | Dubeonjjae Sarang (2007)
Screen Writer
- Secret Sunshine (2007)
- Oasis (2002)
- Peppermint Candy (2000)
- Green Fish (1997)
- A Single Spark (1995)
- To the Starry Island (1993)
Awards
- Award for Best Screenplay: - 2010 (63rd) Cannes Film Festival - May 12-23, 2010
- Best Film - 2010 (47th) Daejong Film Awards - October 29, 2010
- Best Screenplay: (Lee Chang-Dong) - 2010 (47th) Daejong Film Awards - October 29, 2010
- Best Film - 2010 (8th) Korean Film Awards - November 18, 2010
- Best Director - 2010 (8th) Korean Film Awards - November 18, 2010
- Best Screenplay - 2010 (8th) Korean Film Awards - November 18, 2010
- Achievement in Directing - 2010 (4th) Asia Pacific Screen Awards - December 2, 2010
- Best Film - 2010 (2nd) Film of the Year Awards - January 27, 2011
- Best Director - 2011 (5th) Asian Film Awards - March 21, 2011
- Best Screenwriter - 2011 (5th) Asian Film Awards - March 21, 2011
- Best Director - 2011 (47th) PaekSang Arts Awards - May 26, 2011
- 2007 - Best Actress (Do-yeon Jeon), Cannes Film Festival
- 2002 - Jury Award, Bergen International Film Festival
- 2003 - Best Director, Baek Sang Art Awards
- 2003 - Three Castles Award, Castellinaria International Festival of Young Cinema
- 2003 - Audience Award, Gardanne Film Festival
- 2003 - Best Actor (Kyung-gu Sol), Seattle International Film Festival
- 2003 - Best Actress (So-ri Moon), Seattle International Film Festival
- 2003 - Chief Dan George Humanitarian Award, Vancouver International Film Festival
- 2003 - FIPRESCI Prize, Venice Film Festival
- 2003 - Marcello Mastroianni Award (Moon So-ri), Venice Film Festival
- 2003 - SIGNIS Award, Venice Film Festival
- 2003 - Special Director's Award, Venice Film Festival
- 2003 - Golden Lion (Nominated), Venice Film Festival
- 2005 - Best Foreign Film (Nominated), The Independent Spirit Awards
- 2000 - Special Jury Prize, Bratislava International Film Festival
- 2000 - Best Actor (Kyung-gu Sol), Bratislava International Film Festival
- 2000 - Best Film, Grand Bell Awards, South Korea
- 2000 - Don Quijote Award, Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
- 2000 - Netpac Award - Special Mention, Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
- 2000 - Special Prize of the Jury, Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
- 1997 - Best Film, Blue Dragon Awards
- 1997 - Dragons and Tigers Award, Vancouver International Film Festival
- 1998 - Netpac Award - Special Mention, Rotterdam International Film Festival
- 1995 - Best Film, Blue Dragon Awards
