Choi Dong-hun

Choi Dong-hoon (; born February 24, 1971) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. He ranks as one of the most consistently successful directors working in contemporary Korean cinema, with all first five of his films becoming commercial hits -- The Big Swindle attracted 2.12 million viewers, Tazza: The High Rollers at 6.84 million, Jeon Woo-chi: The Taoist Wizard at 6.13 million, The Thieves at 12.9 million, and Assassination at 12.7 million.

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).

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 YearAwardCategoryRecipientsResult2004 3rd Korean Film Awards Best New Director The Big Swindle Best Screenplay 200425th Blue Dragon Film AwardsBest New Director Best Screenplay 20047th Director's Cut AwardsBest New Director 200424th Korean Association of Film Critics AwardsBest New Director 200441st Grand Bell Awards Best New Director Best Screenplay 2005 2005 SBS Gayo Daejeon Music Video of the Year MV 2006 14th Chunsa Film Art Awards Best Film Tazza: The High Rollers Best Director 2006 27th Blue Dragon Film Awards Best Film Best Director 2007 43rd Baeksang Arts Awards Grand Prize (Daesang) Best Film Best Director 2007 8th Newport Beach Film Festival Best Feature Best Director 2007 44th Grand Bell Awards Best Director 2007 8th Busan Film Critics Awards Best Screenplay 2007 6th Korean Film Awards Best Film Best Director Best Screenplay 2012 Best DirectorThe Thieves Buil Readers' Jury Award 2012 Best Director 2012 Best Film Best Director Best Screenplay Audience Choice Award for Most Popular Film 2012 Best Film 2013 Best Director 2015 24th Buil Film Awards Best Film Assassination Best Director 2015 Best Film Best Director Top 10 Films of the Year 2015 52nd Grand Bell Awards Best Film Best Director Best Screenplay 2015 36th Blue Dragon Film Awards Best Film Best Director Best Screenplay 2016 52nd Baeksang Arts Awards Best Film Best Director Best Screenplay 2015 21st Chunsa Film Art Awards Best Director Best Screenplay 2015 11th Max Movie Awards Best Film Best Director Best Poster