Han Jae-rim (born July 14, 1975) is a South Korean film director. He directed Rules of Dating (2005), The Show Must Go On (2007), The Face Reader (2013), The King (2017), and Emergency Declaration (2021).

Han Jae-rim
Born (1975-07-14) July 14, 1975 (age 48)
Alma materSeoul Institute of the Arts
Occupation(s)Film director,
screenwriter,
producer
Years active2003-present
Korean name
Hangul
한재림
Hanja
Revised RomanizationHan Jae-rim
McCune–ReischauerHan Chae-rim

Career edit

Born in 1975, Han Jae-rim graduated from Seoul Institute of the Arts in 1998. He began his filmmaking career in 2003 as an assistant director and script editor for Min Byung-chun's Natural City.[1]

Han was the runner-up for Best Screenplay at the Korean Film Council (KOFIC) Screenplay Contest in 2003 with To Do or Not to Do, which he had co-written with Go Yoon-hee. Retitled Rules of Dating, it became his directorial debut in 2005.[2] Featuring sexually frank dialogue between teacher colleagues played by Park Hae-il and Kang Hye-jung, the film explored controversial gender politics, sexual harassment and moral relativism in a cynical and unsettling take on the romantic comedy.[3] Rules of Dating drew critical praise and became a sleeper hit with 1.6 million admissions.[4] Han won Best Screenplay at the Blue Dragon Film Awards, along with Best New Director at the Busan Film Critics Awards and the Grand Bell Awards.[5][6]

Han, Kim Jee-woon and Yim Pil-sung then signed on to each shoot a short film for the omnibus Doomsday Book in 2006. Han's segment "The Christmas Gift" was supposed to have been a science-fiction musical retelling of O. Henry's The Gift of the Magi, but it was never shot after financing fell through. The film was later released in 2012, but without Han's involvement (Kim and Yim co-directed the third short with a completely new script).[7]

In 2007, he wrote and directed his second film, The Show Must Go On. Starring Korea's top actor Song Kang-ho as a mid-level gangster dealing with family and work troubles, Han injected off-kilter comedy and pathos into the Korean film noir genre.[8] The Show Must Go On won Best Film at the Blue Dragon Film Awards and the Korean Association of Film Critics Awards.[9]

Han entered pre-production for his purported third film, Trace in 2009. Based on the webtoon of the same title, it follows a young man who wakes up from a coma with superpowers after an assault that took his father's life.[10][11] But despite winning the Kodak Award (with a cash prize of US$17,000) at the Busan International Film Festival's Pusan Promotion Plan, Han was unable to secure financing for the US$7.7 million blockbuster, and the project was shelved.[12]

Six years after his last completed film, Han returned to the big screen in 2013 with period drama The Face Reader.[13] The film delved into the philosophical question whether character determines fate or vice versa, in a story about a Joseon fortuneteller skilled in physiognomy who becomes swept up in court intrigues and power struggles.[14] Again starring Song Kang-ho as the titular character opposite Lee Jung-jae as the ambitious Grand Prince Suyang, The Face Reader scored 9.1 million admissions at the local box office, making it the 13th highest grossing Korean film of all time.[15] It won six trophies at the 50th Grand Bell Awards, including Best Film and Best Director for Han.[16][17]

Han also produced Roh Deok's films Very Ordinary Couple (2013) and The Exclusive: Beat the Devil's Tattoo (2015).[18]

Filmography edit

Film edit

Film credits[19]
Year Title Credited as Ref.
English Korean Director Screenplay Producer
2003 Natural City 내츄럴 시티 assistant director script editor [1]
2005 Rules of Dating 연애의 목적 Yes [2]
2007 The Show Must Go On 우아한 세계 Yes [8]
2013 Very Ordinary Couple 연애의 온도 Yes [18]
2013 The Face Reader 관상 Yes script editor [13]
2015 The Exclusive: Beat the Devil's Tattoo 특종: 량첸살인기 Yes [18]
2017 The King 더킹 Yes Yes [20]
2021 Emergency Declaration 비상선언 [21]

Web series edit

Year Title Credited as Ref.
English Korean Director Screenplay Producer
2024 The 8 Show 머니게임 Yes Yes Yes [22][23]
TBA Deception 현혹 Yes Yes [24]
Exorcism 퇴마록 TBD Yes Yes [25]

Awards and nominations edit

Award Year Category Recipient Result Ref
Busan Film Critics Awards 2005 Best Film Rules of Dating Won [26]
Best New Director Won
26th Blue Dragon Film Awards Best New Director Nominated [27]
Korean Film Awards Best New Director Nominated
43rd Grand Bell Awards 2006 Best New Director Won
50th Grand Bell Awards 2013 Best Film The Face Reader Won [16][17]
Best Director Won
34th Blue Dragon Film Awards 2013 Best Film Nominated
Best Director Nominated
9th Max Movie Awards 2014 Best Poster Won
Best Preview Nominated
19th Chunsa Film Art Awards 2014 Best Director Nominated
50th Baeksang Arts Awards 2014 Best Film Nominated
54th Grand Bell Awards 2017 Best Film The King Nominated [28]
Best Director Nominated
Best Screenplay Won
1st The Seoul Awards 2017 Best Film Nominated [29]
38th Blue Dragon Film Awards 2017 Nominated
Blue Dragon Film Awards 2022 Best Director Han Jae-rim Nominated [30]
Buil Film Awards 2022 Best Film Emergency Declaration Nominated [31]
Korean Association of Film Critics Awards 2022 Korean Association of Film 10 selections of Kim Hyun-seung Won [32]

See also edit

Notes edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b "HAN Jae-rim". Korean Film Biz Zone. Retrieved 2015-04-17.
  2. ^ a b Lee, Min-a (8 June 2005). "Flirting teachers spice their job with romance". Korea Joongang Daily. Retrieved 2015-04-17.
  3. ^ Bertolin, Paolo (26 April 2006). "Korean Films Receive Hot Spotlight at Udine". The Korea Times via Hancinema. Retrieved 2015-04-17.
  4. ^ Elley, Derek (28 August 2005). "Review: Rules of Dating". Variety. Retrieved 2015-04-17.
  5. ^ "Sympathy for Lady Vengeance wins Best Picture Award". KBS Global. 30 November 2005. Retrieved 2015-04-17.
  6. ^ D'Sa, Nigel (26 July 2006). "43rd Crowns King and the Clown". Korean Film Biz Zone. Retrieved 2015-04-17.
  7. ^ Elley, Derek (24 October 2012). "Doomsday Book". Film Business Asia. Archived from the original on 28 October 2012. Retrieved 2015-04-23.
  8. ^ a b Kim, Kyu-hyun (29 January 2008). "It's Song Kang-ho's Show All the Way". OhmyNews International. Retrieved 2015-04-17.
  9. ^ Paquet, Darcy (25 November 2007). "Korea's Dragons roar for Show". Variety. Retrieved 2015-04-17.
  10. ^ D'Sa, Nigel (31 August 2009). "HAN Jae-rim's Super-Hero Project Unveils at Pusan". Korean Film Biz Zone. Retrieved 2015-04-23.
  11. ^ "2009 Project: Trace". Asian Project Market. Retrieved 2015-04-23.
  12. ^ D'Sa, Nigel (22 October 2009). "PPP Awards Announced". Korean Film Biz Zone. Retrieved 2015-04-17.
  13. ^ a b Oh, Dong-jin (30 September 2013). "Interview with Han Jae-rim, the director of The Face Reader". Art:Mu. National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art. Archived from the original on 23 April 2015. Retrieved 2015-04-23.
  14. ^ Lee, Maggie (23 October 2013). "Film Review: The Face Reader". Variety. Retrieved 2015-04-17.
  15. ^ "Face Reader Exploits Changing Trends to Race up Film Charts". The Chosun Ilbo. 23 September 2013. Retrieved 2015-04-17.
  16. ^ a b Lee, Hyo-won (1 November 2013). "The Face Reader Shines at South Korea's Dae Jong Film Awards". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2015-04-17.
  17. ^ a b Conran, Pierce (4 November 2013). "THE FACE READER Picks Up 6 at 50th Grand Bell Awards". Korean Film Biz Zone. Archived from the original on 8 April 2015. Retrieved 2015-04-17.
  18. ^ a b c Conran, Pierce (11 February 2015). "JO Jung-suk, LEE Ha-na Pair Up for ROH Deok's JOURNALIST". Korean Film Biz Zone. Retrieved 2015-04-23.
  19. ^ "KMDb - Han Jae-rim". Korean Movie Database. Retrieved 2024-02-19.
  20. ^ "[단독]조인성-정우성 '더 킹' 랑데부 확정..임수정은 불발". Archived from the original on 2021-05-15. Retrieved 2016-12-09.
  21. ^ Kil, Sonia (August 29, 2019). "Song Kang-ho and Lee Byung-hun Korean Stars Reteam for 'Emergency Declaration'". Variety. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  22. ^ Hwang Hye-jin (January 28, 2022). "류준열X아이유X박정민X박해준X배성우 '머니게임' 출연 확정(공식)" [Ryu Jun-yeol X IU X Park Jung-min X Park Hae-joon X Bae Seong-woo confirmed to appear in ‘Money Game’ (official)] (in Korean). Newsen. Archived from the original on January 28, 2022. Retrieved January 28, 2022 – via Naver.
  23. ^ Bae Hyo-joo (December 12, 2023). "'머니게임' 원작 'The 8 Show' 넷플릭스 공개‥류준열→배성우 8人 주연" ['The 8 Show', based on 'Money Game', released on Netflix... Starring Ryu Jun-yeol → Bae Seong-woo] (in Korean). Newsen. Retrieved December 12, 2023 – via Naver.
  24. ^ 박, 정선. "[단독] '관상'·'더킹' 한재림 감독, 웹툰 '현혹' 드라마로 만든다". Naver News (in Korean). Retrieved 2024-03-09.
  25. ^ OSEN (2024-03-07). "한재림 감독 측 "소설 '퇴마록' 영상화, 연출은 미정" [공식입장]". m.osen.co.kr (in Korean). Retrieved 2024-03-09.
  26. ^ "Rules of Dating – Awards". Cinemasie. Retrieved 2013-07-15.
  27. ^ "Sympathy for Lady Vengeance wins Best Picture Award". KBS Global. 30 November 2005. Retrieved 2015-04-23.
  28. ^ "Stars shine at Daejong awards: A successful year for film industry celebrated at annual ceremony". Korea JoongAng Daily. 27 October 2017.
  29. ^ "'서울어워즈' 송강호·나문희·지성·박보영 주연상…·'박열'·'비숲' 대상[종합]". TV Report (in Korean). 27 October 2017.
  30. ^ "43회 청룡영화상 후보 발표, 박찬욱 감독 '헤어질 결심' 13개 부문 최다 노미네이트" [Nominations announced at the 43rd Blue Dragon Film Awards, Director Park Chan-wook's 'Decision to break up' received the most nominations in 13 categories]. KBS Star (in Korean). Naver. November 8, 2022. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
  31. ^ Kim, Na-ra (October 6, 2022). "헤어질 결심' 박해일X탕웨이, 男女주연상→'월드 ★' 이정재, 신인 감독상 수상 [2022 부일영화상](종합)" [Decision to break up' Park Hae-il X Tang Wei, Best Leading Actress → 'World ★' Lee Jung-jae, Rookie Director Award [2022 Buil Film Awards] (Comprehensive)]. My Daily (in Korean). Retrieved October 6, 2022 – via Naver.
  32. ^ Park, Mi-ae (October 24, 2022). "헤어질 결심', 영평상 최우수작품상 선정…공로상 안성기" ['Decision to break up' selected for Best Picture at the Youngpyeong Awards... Achievement Award Ahn Sung-ki]. E-Daily (in Korean). Retrieved October 24, 2022 – via Naver.

External links edit