Jang Joon-hwan

Jang Joon-hwan (; born January 18, 1970) is a South Korean film director. He is known for his science fiction film Save the Green Planet!, earning him Best Director at the 4th Busan Film Critics Awards, and the Special Silver St. George for Best Director at the 25th Moscow International Film Festival.

Early life and education Jang enrolled at Sungkyunkwan University as an English literature major after failing to gain admission to the physics department. He described his major as profound but difficult to grasp. During his senior year of college, Jang experienced a period of intense frustration and sought an outlet by joining a university film club. This experience fostered a meaningful interest in the medium, leading him to enroll in the Korean Academy of Film Arts in 1994, where he began his formal relationship with filmmaking.

Jang's first directing job was on the 1994 short film 2001 Imagine. It was his graduation project, completed as part of the Korean Academy of Film Arts' one-year curriculum, originated from a single, persistent image: a man delusional enough to believe he is a giant confessing this to his mother. By incorporating themes involving John Lennon and Yoko Ono, he developed this concept into a short film that garnered critical acclaim at the Clermont-Ferrand, San Francisco, and Vancouver Film Festivals.

Career

Career beginning After graduating in 1995, Jang spent two years as a teaching assistant at the academy. While the role provided a modest salary, he eventually found the work stagnant. During this period, he served as a cinematographer for Ryoo Seung-wan's short film Transmutated Head (1996). His creative focus during this time shifted toward Fart Man, an ambitious script about a man whose flatulence grants him destructive superpowers. Although it became his primary candidate for a debut feature, the project was ultimately shelved due to its requirement for a massive production scale. Upon its release, it earned critical acclaim, securing Jang the Best Director award at the 4th Busan Film Critics Awards, and the Special Silver St. George for Best Director at the 25th Moscow International Film Festival.

He directed two more short films Hair (2004), and Love for Sale (2010, as part of the omnibus Camellia, about the past, present and future of the city Busan). Then, in 2013, Jang's long-awaited second feature film was released, a revenge thriller titled Hwayi: A Monster Boy.

In 2017, he directed a political thriller film titled 1987: When the Day Comes. The film was a critical and commercial success, and won Best Director and Best Film at the 9th KOFRA Film Awards, as well as Best Film at the 39th Blue Dragon Film Awards.

Bugonia In May 2020, Jang was set to direct an English-language remake of his film Save the Green Planet!, with Will Tracy adapting the screenplay. However, Jang later stepped down as director due to health problems, although he remained an executive producer on the project. By February 2024, it was revealed that Yorgos Lanthimos would replace Jang as director. By October 2024, the film was retitled Bugonia, prior to being scheduled for a limited release in the United States on October 24, 2025, before a wide release on October 31.

Personal life Jang married actress Moon So-ri on December 24, 2006.

Filmography + Film credits of JangYearTitleRole Notes English Korean 1994 지리멸렬 Lighting Short film 2001 Imagine 2001 이매진 Director, Screenplay, Cast Short film Sounds from Heaven and Earth 하늘소리 땅소리 Cinematography Short film The Love of a Grape Seed 포도 씨앗의 사랑 Cinematography Short film 1996 Boong-boong Cinematography Short film Transmutated Head 변질헤드 Cinematography Short film 1997 Motel Cactus 모텔 선인장 Assistant Director 1999 Phantom: the Submarine 유령 Screenplay 2003 Save the Green Planet! 지구를 지켜라! Director, Screenplay 2004 Hair 털 Director, Screenplay Short film 2006 Two or Three Things I Know about Kim Ki-young 감독들, 김기영을 말하다 Cast Documentary 2010 Love for Sale (segment from Camellia) 카멜리아 Director Omnibus film 2012 Waiting for Jang Joon-hwan 장준환을 기다리며 Cameo Short film 2013 Hwayi: A Monster Boy 화이 Director 2017 1987: When the Day Comes1987 Director The Running Actress여배우는 오늘도 Actor 2025 Bugonia Executive producer

Awards and nominations