Kim Han-min (born November 5, 1969) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. He directed the feature films Paradise Murdered (2007), Handphone (2009), War of the Arrows (2011), and The Admiral: Roaring Currents (2014).

Kim Han-min
Kim in 2022
Born (1969-11-05) November 5, 1969 (age 54)
EducationDongguk University Graduate School of Film Arts
Occupation(s)Film director, screenwriter
Years active1995–present
Korean name
Hangul
김한민
Revised RomanizationGim Han-min
McCune–ReischauerKim Hanmin

Career edit

After graduating from Dongguk University's Graduate School of Film Arts, Kim Han-min gained accolades for two of his short films - Sunflower Blues which screened at the Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival as well as the New York Independent Film Festival; and Three Hungry Brothers which received awards at the Mise-en-scene Genre Film Festival, the Asiana International Short Film Festival, and the Seoul Digital Film Festival.[1]

In 2007 he made his feature directorial debut with the mystery-thriller Paradise Murdered starring Park Hae-il, Park Sol-mi and Sung Ji-ru. A fictionalized account of a murder that took place on a secluded island in the 1980s involving rational and irrational horrors, the film sold over 2 million tickets nationwide.[2] In his second feature, Kim shifted his setting to the big city, with blackmail thriller Handphone (2009) revolving around every urbanite's essential hardware, the cell phone. Starring Uhm Tae-woong and Park Yong-woo, it fell short of both the commercial and critical successes of his first film.[3]

Set during the second Manchu invasion of 1636, Kim's third film War of the Arrows (2011) combined well-choreographed combat sequences and special effects, fast pacing, a tense plot and the thrill of the chase to tell the story of a master archer and his quest to rescue his sister from Qing Dynasty soldiers.[4][5] The period action film unexpectedly drew an audience of 7.46 million, making it the highest grossing Korean film of 2011.[6] It also won recognition at the Grand Bell Awards and the Blue Dragon Film Awards, notably for its lead actors Park Hae-il, Ryu Seung-ryong and Moon Chae-won.[7][8][9][10][11]

Kim's follow-up in 2014 was another period epic, Battle of Myeongryang, Whirlwind Sea (released internationally as The Admiral: Roaring Currents), which depicted the legendary sea battle between 12 vessels of the Korean navy led by the most admired military figure in Korea, General Yi Sun-sin (played by Choi Min-sik), and 330 invading Japanese ships, which are eventually defeated. Given the disparity in numbers, the battle is regarded as one of Yi's most remarkable victories.[12][13] It became the all-time most successful film in South Korean box office history, the first ever to reach 15 million admissions and the first local film to gross more than US$100 million.[14]

To commemorate Yi's 407th birth anniversary in 2015, Kim and Jung Se-kyu co-directed Roaring Currents: The Road of the Admiral, a documentary prequel to The Admiral: Roaring Currents in which cast members of the 2014 film retraced the 450-kilometer path that the admiral walked in preparation for the Battle of Myeongnyang, based on the war diary that Yi wrote.[15]

Beginning with 2014 film, The Admiral: Roaring Currents, Kim created Yi Sun-sin trilogy, based on three major naval battles led by Admiral Yi Sun-sin. The second film Hansan: Rising Dragon, based on Battle of Hansan Island which took place 5 years before Battle of Myeongnyang depicted in The Admiral, was released in 2022. Park Hae-il portrayed Admiral Yi in the film.[16]

Filmography edit

Feature films edit

Year Film Credited as Notes
Director Writer Producer
2007 Paradise Murdered Yes Yes No
2009 Handphone Yes Yes No also script editor, actor
2011 War of the Arrows Yes Yes No
2014 The Admiral: Roaring Currents Yes Yes Yes
2015 The Hunt No Adaptation Yes
Roaring Currents: The Road of the Admiral Yes No Yes Documentary
2019 The Battle: Roar to Victory No Adaptation Yes
2020 Oh! My Gran No Adaptation Yes
2022 Hansan: Rising Dragon Yes Yes No also actor[17]
2023 Noryang: Deadly Sea Yes Yes No

Short films edit

Year Film Credited as Notes
Director Writer Producer
1995 A Painter Story Yes No No
1995 Beyond... Yes No No
1997 Sympathy Yes No No
1998 Rush Yes No No
1999 Sunflower Blues Yes Yes No editor
2003 Three Hungry Brothers Yes Yes No editor
2007 A Wintering No No No Actor

Accolades edit

Awards and nominations
Year Award ceremony Category Nominee / Work Result Ref.
2007 28th Blue Dragon Film Awards Best New Director; Best Screenplay Paradise Murdered Won
Best Screenplay Won
2011 48th Grand Bell Awards Best Film War of the Arrows Nominated
2011 32nd Blue Dragon Film Awards Best Film Nominated
Best Director Nominated
Audience Choice Award for Most Popular Film Won
2014 23rd Buil Film Awards Best Film The Admiral: Roaring Currents Won [18]
Best Director Nominated
2014 34th Korean Association of Film Critics Awards Critics' Top 10 Won [19]
2014 51st Grand Bell Awards Best Film Won [20]
[21]
[22]
[23]
[24]
Best Director Nominated
Best Planning Won
2014 35th Blue Dragon Film Awards Best Film Nominated [25]
[26]
Best Director Won
Audience Choice Award for Most Popular Film Won
2015 10th Max Movie Awards Best Film Won
Best Director Nominated
Best Trailer Nominated
Best Poster Nominated
2015 Chunsa Film Art Awards Best Director (Grand Prix) Nominated [27]
2015 51st Baeksang Arts Awards Best Film Nominated
2023 Baeksang Arts Awards Best Film Hansan: Rising Dragon Nominated [28]
Best Director Nominated
2022 43rd Blue Dragon Film Awards Best Film Nominated [29]
Best Screenplay Nominated
2022 Buil Film Awards Best Director Won [30]
Best Film Nominated [31]
2022 Chunsa Film Art Awards Best Screenplay Won [32]
Best Director Nominated [33]
2023 Director's Cut Awards Best Director in film Nominated [34]
2022 Grand Bell Awards Best Director Nominated
Best Film Nominated [35]
Best Screenplay Nominated
2022 Korean Association of Film Critics Awards Korean Association of Film 10 selections of Kim Hyun-seung Won [36]

Notes edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Sunflower Blues". IndieStory. Retrieved 2013-02-04.
  2. ^ "KIM Han-min". Korean Film Council. Retrieved 2013-02-04.
  3. ^ Lee, Hyo-won (12 February 2009). "Hand Phone Showcases Top Talent". The Korea Times. Archived from the original on 27 December 2013. Retrieved 2013-02-04.
  4. ^ Kwaak, Je-yup (24 June 2011). "Arrow aims ultimate summer success". The Korea Times. Archived from the original on 27 December 2013. Retrieved 2013-02-04.
  5. ^ Lee, Hyo-won (4 August 2011). "Arrow aims for new horizons". The Korea Times. Archived from the original on 27 December 2013. Retrieved 2013-02-04.
  6. ^ Paquet, Darcy (8 January 2012). "South Korean box office in 2011". Korean Cinema Today. Retrieved 2013-02-04.
  7. ^ Carla, Sunwoo (24 May 2012). "War of the Arrows to target Japan". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on February 16, 2013. Retrieved 2013-02-04.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  8. ^ Quinn, Paul (16 September 2011). "Kim Han-min Interview". Hangul Celluloid. Retrieved 2013-02-04.
  9. ^ Heskins, Andrew (19 September 2011). "LKFF Press Launch and Kim Han-min Q&A". easternKicks. Retrieved 2013-02-04.
  10. ^ London, Ian (1 November 2011). "Interview with Kim Han-min, Korean director of War of the Arrows". You Know, I Learned Something Today. Retrieved 2013-02-04.
  11. ^ "Kim Han Min talks Arrow: The Ultimate Weapon and more". Korea.com. 27 March 2012. Archived from the original on 27 December 2013. Retrieved 2013-02-04.
  12. ^ Conran, Pierce (1 August 2013). "CHOI Min-sik Wraps Naval War Epic BATTLE OF MYEONGRYANG". Korean Film Council. Retrieved 2013-08-06.
  13. ^ Baek, Byung-yeul (30 June 2014). "Joseon's war hero back on screen: Choi Min-sik's Roaring Currents retraces 16th century maritime battle against Japan". The Korea Times. Retrieved 2014-07-04.
  14. ^ "Roaring Currents Most Successful Korean Film of All Time". The Chosun Ilbo. 18 August 2014. Retrieved 2014-08-20.
  15. ^ Baek, Byung-yeul (27 April 2015). "Director retraces pre-war Admiral Yi". The Korea Times. Retrieved 2015-04-30.
  16. ^ Song Seung-hyun (July 28, 2022). "Kim Han-min to return with another Adm. Yi Sun-sin film, 'Hansan'". The Korea Herald. Retrieved July 30, 2022 – via Naver.
  17. ^ Kang Min-kyung (November 29, 2022). "박해일, 출정 전 母 문숙과 대화…장군 아닌 인간 이순신('한산 리덕스')" [Park Hae-il talks with his mother, Moon-sook, before going out... A human, not a general, Yi Sun-sin ('Hansan Redux')]. Ten Asia (in Korean). Retrieved November 29, 2022 – via Naver.
  18. ^ Kim, June (6 October 2014). "SHIM Eun-kyung, SONG Kang-ho, HONG Sangsoo and ROARING CURRENTS Win at 23rd Buil Film Awards". Korean Film Biz Zone. Retrieved 2014-10-09.
  19. ^ Conran, Pierce (4 November 2014). "Top Honors for HILL OF FREEDOM at 34th Korean Film Critics Association Awards". Korean Film Biz Zone. Retrieved 2014-11-08.
  20. ^ Kim, June (12 November 2014). "The 51st Daejong Film Awards Nominations Announced". Korean Film Biz Zone. Retrieved 2014-11-12.
  21. ^ Kim, Nemo (21 November 2014). "Korea's Roaring Currents Rings Up Trio of Grand Bell Awards". Variety. Retrieved 2014-11-21.
  22. ^ Baek, Byung-yeul (23 November 2014). "Roaring Currents takes 4 trophies at Daejong Awards". The Korea Times. Retrieved 2014-12-11.
  23. ^ Conran, Pierce (24 November 2014). "ROARING CURRENTS Tops 51st Daejong Film Awards". Korean Film Biz Zone. Retrieved 2014-11-25.
  24. ^ "Roaring Currents Named This Year's Best Film". The Chosun Ilbo. 24 November 2014. Retrieved 2014-11-25.
  25. ^ Kim, June (18 December 2014). "35th Blue Dragon Awards Names THE ATTORNEY Best Film". Korean Film Biz Zone. Retrieved 2014-12-18.
  26. ^ Son, Jung-bin (December 17, 2014). "'변호인', 청룡영화상 최우수작품상 등 4관왕". Newsis (in Korean). Retrieved May 18, 2020 – via Naver.
  27. ^ Kim, June (6 March 2015). "2015 Chunsa Film Art Nominations Announced". Korean Film Biz Zone. Retrieved 2015-03-19.
  28. ^ Cho Yeon-kyung (April 7, 2023). "제59회 백상예술대상, TV·영화·연극 최종 후보 공개" [59th Baeksang Arts Awards, TV/Film/Play Finalists Revealed] (in Korean). JTBC. Retrieved April 8, 2023 – via Naver.
  29. ^ "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.
  30. ^ Nam Yoo-jung (October 6, 2022). "2022 부일영화상, 박해일·탕웨이 '최고의 별'" [2022 Buil Film Awards, Park Hae-il and Tang Wei's 'Best Stars']. Busan Ilbo (in Korean). Retrieved October 6, 2022 – via Naver.
  31. ^ Nam Yoo-jung (August 28, 2022). "헤어질 결심 브로커 둘 다 8개 부문 후보 올라" [Decision to break up and Broker both nominated for 8 categories]. Busan Ilbo (in Korean). Retrieved August 30, 2022 – via Naver.
  32. ^ Kwon, Hyun-jin (30 September 2022). "'헤어질 결심' 3관왕…박찬욱·박해일·탕웨이 수상(종합) [27th 춘사영화제]" ['Decision to Leave' wins 3 awards...awards for Park Chan-wook, Park Hae-il, Tang Wei (Comprehensive) [27th Chunsa Film Festival]] (in Korean). ChosunBiz. Archived from the original on 30 September 2022. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
  33. ^ Lee, Ji-yul (August 26, 2022). "제27회 춘사국제영화제 각 부문별 후보자 공개" [The 27th Chunsa International Film Festival nominees for each category revealed] (in Korean). Beyond Post. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
  34. ^ Kim, Bo-young (February 9, 2023). "제21회 '디렉터스컷 어워즈', 3년 만에 오프라인 개최 [공식]" [The 21st 'Director's Cut Awards' held offline for the first time in 3 years [Official]] (in Korean). E-Daily. Retrieved February 17, 2023 – via Naver.
  35. ^ Park, Jae-hwan (October 12, 2022). "제 58회 대종상 영화제 내달 9일 개최... '헌트' 12개, '헤어질 결심' - '한산' 11개 부분 노미네이트" [The 58th Daejong Film Festival to be held on the 9th of next month... 12 nominations for 'Hunt', 'Decision to break up' - 11 parts for 'Hansan] (in Korean). KBS Media. Retrieved October 12, 2022 – via Naver.
  36. ^ 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