Hwang Dong-hyuk | |
|---|---|
 Hwang in January 2014 | |
| Born | (1971-05-26)May 26, 1971 (age 53) Seoul, South Korea |
| Other names | Pride of Ssangmun-dong |
| Education | |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2000–present |
| Agent | Creative Artists Agency[1] |
| Honours | _ribbon.PNG) Geumgwan Order of Cultural Merit (2022) |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 황동혁 |
| Hanja | 黃東赫 |
| Revised Romanization | Hwang Donghyeok |
| McCune–Reischauer | Hwang Tonghyŏk |
Hwang Dong-hyuk (Korean: 황동혁; born May 26, 1971) is a South Korean film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is best known for creating theNetflixsurvival drama seriesSquid Game (2021–present) and thecrime drama filmSilenced (2011).
Due toSquid Game's success, Netflix brought Hwang's previous filmsSilenced,Miss Granny, andThe Fortress to the service in the United States and other countries.[2] Hwang won anEmmy for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series in 2022 for directing theSquid Game episode "Red Light, Green Light", making him the first South Korean to win an Emmy in that category.[3] Hwang received theGeumgwan Order of Cultural Merit from PresidentYoon Suk Yeol, which is the highest decoration awarded to those who have contributed to culture and arts.[4]
Hwang Dong-hyuk was born and raised inSsangmun-dong,Seoul, South Korea;[5] he immersed himself inmanhwa andmanga, spending hours in comic book cafes.[6]
After he graduated fromSeoul National University with aBachelor of Arts in communications, he wrote and directed numerousshort films includingOur Sad Life andA Puff of Smoke. He then moved toLos Angeles to study for aMaster of Fine Arts in Film Production at theUniversity of Southern California.[7]
In 2000, he started his filmmaking career and completed two short filmsHeaven & Hell andDesperation (2000). His graduation thesis film wasMiracle Mile (2004), a short starringKarl Yune as a Korean-Americanillegal taxi driver who helps his fare, a young Korean woman (played by Hana Kim) search for her brother who was adopted by Americans 20 years ago.Miracle Mile screened at over 40 international film festivals and won several awards, including theDirectors Guild of America Student Film Award and StudentEmmy Award.[7]
For hisfeature film debut, Hwang returned to the topic ofadoption inMy Father (2007). Based on the true story of Korean-American adoptee Aaron Bates, the film is about a U.S. Army soldier stationed in Korea who appears on national television to search for his birth parents, then finds his father ondeath row for murder.Kim Yeong-cheol played the father opposite lead actorDaniel Henney, whom Hwang decided to cast despite the latter beingtypecast as a heartthrob. Henney and Kim were praised for their acting, as was Hwang for his non-melodramatic handling of forgiveness and acceptance, intertwined with issues ofcultural identity and thedeath penalty.[8][9]
Hwang's second film became one of the biggest stories in Korean cinema in 2011.[10] Based on anovel byGong Ji-young and starringGong Yoo andJung Yu-mi,[11]The Crucible (also known asSilenced) depicts real-life events at theGwangju Inhwa School for the deaf where young students were cruelly treated and sexually abused by their teachers and administrators.[12] Hwang said he deliberated for about a month whether or not he should make the film, but decided to do it because "It had to be told."[13] Hwang said, "I thought about two things when making this film. First, I wanted to let the world know about this horrific incident. Secondly, I wanted to expose the structural problems of society as revealed during the process of how the case was buried. The issues portrayed in the movie -- sexual violence against children, corrupt ties between police and influential families, negligence of duty by civil servants -- is not fictitious, but can be seen regularly on the daily news."[14] The movie became a box-office hit in Korea, attracting 4.7 million viewers. But more significantly, it provoked widespread public anger and commentary, such that the case was reopened and lawmakers passed the "Dogani Bill" which abolishes thestatute of limitations for sex crimes against minors and the disabled. Hwang said, "I took up filmmaking because I was so frustrated by all these unresolved social issues I saw. We can see through films how much we are changed by the world. You can't change society with just one movie, but looking at the repercussion of the release of this film, we can think about the power film has in terms of positively affecting society."[14]
In a significant departure from his previous films, Hwang's third featureMiss Granny (titledSuspicious Girl inKorean) focuses on a 74-year-old woman who regains the appearance of her 20-year-old self (played byNa Moon-hee andShim Eun-kyung, respectively), in a movie that straddles comedy, family drama, music and romance. Hwang said at the 2014 film's press conference, "WithMy Father andSilenced, I always seemed to be making social films with dark subject matter, but in reality, I am a fun person. This time I really wanted to make a happy and light film."[15][16] Strongword of mouth propelledMiss Granny to the top of thebox office chart, with more than 8.65 million admissions.
Based onKim Hoon's novelNamhansanseong (the Korean title for the movie as well),The Fortress starsLee Byung-hun andKim Yoon-seok as rival advisors toKing Injo at a critical moment during theSecond Manchu invasion of Korea. A subtle tour de force in a totally different genre from Hwang's previous movies, it claimed both a popular and critical success with 3.8 million tickets sold in Korea, a distribution to 28 countries, and many awards across Asia.
Around 2008, Hwang had tried unsuccessfully to get investment for a different movie script that he had written, and he, his mother, and his grandmother had to take out loans to stay afloat, but still struggled amid thedebt crisis within the country.[17][18][a] He spent his free time in aManhwabang (South Korean manga cafe) reading Japanese survivalmanga such asBattle Royale,Liar Game andGambling Apocalypse: Kaiji.[20][21][22][23] Hwang compared the characters' situation in these works to his own current situation and considered the idea of being able to join such a survival game to win money to get him out of debt, leading him to write a film script on that concept throughout 2009.[23] Hwang stated, "I wanted to write a story that was an allegory or fable about modern capitalist society, something that depicts an extreme competition, somewhat like the extreme competition of life. But I wanted it to use the kind of characters we've all met in real life."[24] Hwang feared the storyline was "too difficult to understand and bizarre" at the time.[20] Hwang tried to sell his story to various Korean production groups and actors, but had been told it was too grotesque and unrealistic.[25] Hwang put this script aside without any takers, and over the next ten years successfully completed three other films, including thecrime drama filmSilenced (2011) and thehistorical drama filmThe Fortress (2017).[23]
In the 2010s,Netflix had seen a large growth in viewership outside of North America, and started investing in productions in other regions, including Korea.[26] In 2018,Ted Sarandos, co-CEO of Netflix, stated that they were looking for more successes from overseas productions: "The exciting thing for me would be if the nextStranger Things came from outside America. Right now, historically, nothing of that scale has ever come from anywhere but Hollywood."[27] Netflix had opened up a division in Asia in 2018, and while they were still operating out of temporary leased office space in Seoul, Hwang brought his script to their attention. Kim Minyoung, one of Netflix's content officers for the Asian regions, recognized Hwang's talent fromThe Fortress and his other films, and upon seeing his script forSquid Game, knew they needed it for the service. Kim said "[W]e were looking for shows that were different from what's traditionally 'made it,' and Squid Game was exactly it".[28] In September 2019 Netflix formally announced that they would produce Hwang's work as an original series.[25][29] Netflix's Bela Bajaria, head of global television operations, said of their interest in Hwang's work that "we knew it was going to be big in Korea because it had a well-regarded director with a bold vision", and that "K-Dramas also travel well across Asia".[26] Regarding his return to the project, Hwang commented, "It's a sad story. But the reason why I returned to the project is because the world 10 years from then has transformed to a place where these unbelievable survival stories are so fitting, and I found that this is the time when people will call these stories intriguing and realistic."[20] Hwang further believed that theCOVID-19 pandemic impacted the economic disparity between classes in South Korea, and said that "All of these points made the story very realistic for people compared to a decade ago".[25]
With the Netflix order, the film concept was expanded out to a nine-episode series. Kim stated that there was "so much more than what was written in the 120-minute format. So we worked together to turn it into a series."[28] Hwang said he was able to expand the script so that it "could focus on the relationships between people [and] the stories that each of the people had".[30] Initially, Netflix had named the seasonRound Six, rather thanSquid Game as Hwang had suggested; according to Netflix's vice president for content in Asia Kim Minyoung, while they knew that the name "squid game" would be familiar to Korean viewers from the children's game, it "wouldn't resonate because not many people would get it", and opted to useRound Six as it self-described the nature of the competition. It has been titled as such in Brazil. As production continued, Hwang pushed on the service to useSquid Game instead; its cryptic name and unique visuals helped to draw in curious viewers, according to Kim.[29][31] At the time that Hwang wrote the season, his goal was to have the season reach the most-watched show in Netflix in the United States for at least one day.[17] Hwang had initially written the season as eight episodes, which was comparable to other Netflix shows, but found that the material for the last episode was longer than he planned, so it was split into two.[32]Lee Jung-jae, who portraysSeong Gi-hun, leads an ensemble cast in both seasons.
Due to the stress of writing and producing the first series of nine episodes himself, Hwang initially had no immediate plans to write a second season toSquid Game, and did not have well-developed plans for a follow-up story and said that if he were to write one, he would likely need a staff of writers and directors to help him.[24] However, with the immense popularity of the show, Hwang later opined about the possibility of a second season in 2021, tellingCNN, "There's nothing confirmed at the moment, but so many people are enthusiastic that I'm really contemplating it."[33] Hwang also said in an interview withThe Times that a second season may focus more on the story of the Front Man as well as incorporating more about the police: "I think the issue with police officers is not just an issue in Korea. I see it on the global news that the police force can be very late in acting on things—there are more victims or a situation gets worse because of them not acting fast enough. This was an issue that I wanted to raise."[34] He added that he also wanted to explore the relationship between the cryptic Front Man and his policeman brother Hwang Jun-ho, as well as the background of the salesman character (portrayed byGong Yoo).[35] Speaking about the games that appear in the season, Hwang said "They are once again simple children's games that a lot of kids in Korea grew up playing. I remember being on set and being reminded of my childhood days" but he also wanted to open up the games to be more universally recognized this time "In many different countries around the world, there will be some kind of version similar to these games that you probably have played as a child,...They're going to be both very easy to understand and play, and very fun." The second season was released on December 26, 2024, with the third and final season scheduled for release in 2025.
Due toSquid Game's success, Netflix brought Hwang's previous filmsSilenced,Miss Granny, andThe Fortress to the service in the United States and other countries.[2] Hwang won anEmmy for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series in 2022 for directing theSquid Game episode "Red Light, Green Light", making him the first South Korean to win an Emmy in that category.[3] Hwang received theGeumgwan Order of Cultural Merit from PresidentYoon Suk Yeol, which is the highest decoration awarded to those who have contributed to culture and arts.[4] Hwang had also worked with Netflix to create amockumentary inspired bySquid Game's success, titledThe Best Show on the Planet. Hwang said the comedy was based on his own personal experience of being pushed into the spotlight due to the rapid success ofSquid Game.[36] In 2022,Killing Old People Club was announced as Hwang's next feature film.[37]
| Year | Title | Director | Producer | Writer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Our Sad Life | Yes | No | Yes | Short film |
| 2000 | A Puff of Smoke | Yes | No | Yes | |
| 2000 | Heaven & Hell | Yes | No | No | |
| 2000 | Desperation | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2000 | I Love Ultra Lotto | No | No | No | Short film, cinematographer, editor |
| 2004 | Big Time | No | No | No | Short film, production assistant |
| 2004 | Miracle Mile | Yes | No | Yes | Short film, editor |
| 2005 | Truck Stop Diner | No | No | No | Short film, actor, grip |
| 2007 | My Father | Yes | No | Yes | Adapted screenplay |
| 2011 | Silenced | Yes | No | Yes | |
| 2014 | Miss Granny | Yes | No | No | |
| 2017 | The Fortress | Yes | No | Yes | |
| 2020 | Collectors | No | Yes | No | Adapted screenplay |
| 2021–2025 | Squid Game | Yes | Yes | Yes | Netflix original series, creator |
| TBA | Killing Old People Club[37] | Yes | TBA | Yes |
| Award ceremony | Year | Category | Nominee / Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baeksang Arts Awards | 2018 | Best Director | The Fortress | Nominated | [38] |
| 2022 | Best Director | Squid Game | Won | [39] | |
| Best Screenplay | Nominated | [40] | |||
| Beautiful Artist Award (Shin Young-kyun Arts and Culture Foundation) | 2021 | Film Artist Award | Hwang Dong-hyuk | Won | [41] |
| Blue Dragon Awards | 2007 | Best New Director | My Father | Nominated | [42] |
| 2011 | Best Director | Silenced | Nominated | [43] | |
| Best Screenplay | Nominated | ||||
| 2014 | Best Director | Miss Granny | Nominated | [44] | |
| 2017 | The Fortress | Nominated | [45] | ||
| Best Screenplay | Won | ||||
| Buil Film Awards | 2018 | Best Director | The Fortress | Nominated | [46] |
| Best Screenplay | Nominated | ||||
| Chunsa Film Art Awards | 2018 | Best Director | The Fortress | Won | [47] |
| Critics Choice Awards Asian Pacific Cinema & Television | 2022 | Director Award for TV | Squid Game | Won | [48] |
| Director's Cut Awards | Best Director in series | Won | [49][50] | ||
| Best Screenplay in series | Won | ||||
| Grand Bell Awards | 2018 | Best Director | The Fortress | Nominated | [51] |
| Best Screenplay | Nominated | ||||
| Gotham Awards | 2021 | Breakthrough Series – Long Form | Hwang Dong-hyuk(with Kim Ji-yeon) | Won | [52] |
| Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards | 2022 | Best Directing in a Streaming Series, Drama | "Red Light, Green Light" (Squid Game) | Nominated | [53] |
| Best Writing in a Streaming Series, Drama | "One Lucky Day" (Squid Game) | Nominated | |||
| Korea Image Award | 2022 | Stepping Stone Award | Hwang Dong-hyuk | Won | [54] |
| Korean Association of Film Critics Awards | 2017 | Best Director | The Fortress | Won | [55] |
| Max Movie Awards | 2015 | Best Director | Miss Granny | Nominated | [56] |
| Pony Chung Foundation Innovation Award | 2022 | Pony Chung Innovation Award | Hwang Dong-hyuk | Won | [57] |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | 2022 | Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series | "Red Light, Green Light" (Squid Game) | Won | [58] |
| Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series | "One Lucky Day" (Squid Game) | Nominated | |||
| Visionary Awards[A] | 2021 | 2021 Visionary | Hwang Dong-hyuk | Won | [60] |
| Udine Far East Film Festival | 2012 | Audience Award | Silenced | Won | [61] |
| Black Dragon Audience Award | Won |
| Organization | Year | Award | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bloomberg Businessweek | 2021 | 50 People of the Year | [62] |
| The Straits Times (Singapore) | The Straits Times Asian of the Year | [63] | |
| Time | 2022 | The 100 Most Influential People of 2022 | [64] |
| Country or Organization | Year | Honor or Award | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Korea | 2022 | Geumgwan Order of Cultural Merit | [4] |
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| Related | ||
| International | |
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