Lee Chang-dong facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lee Chang-dong
Lee Chang-dong at 2010 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
Born	(1954-07-04) July 4, 1954 (age 71) Daegu, South Korea
Alma mater	Kyungpook National University (1981)
Occupation	Film director, screenwriter
Years active	1997–present
Honours	Legion of Honour - Knight (2006)
Korean name
Hangul	이창동
Hanja	李滄東
RR	I Changdong
MR	I Ch'angdong
Signature

Lee Chang-dong (Hangul: 이창동; born July 4, 1954) is a famous South Korean film director, screenwriter, and novelist. He has directed six main movies, including Green Fish (1997), Peppermint Candy (1999), Oasis (2002), Secret Sunshine (2007), Poetry (2010), and Burning (2018).

His film Burning was the first Korean movie to be chosen for the final nine films considered for the Best Foreign Language Film award at the 91st Academy Awards. Burning also won the Fipresci International Critics' Prize at the 71st Cannes Film Festival. It also received awards for Best Foreign Language Film from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and the Toronto Film Critics Association.

Lee has won many awards for his work. These include the Silver Lion for Best Director at the 2002 Venice Film Festival and the Best Screenplay Award at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival. He also served as South Korea's Minister of Culture and Tourism from 2003 to 2004.

Early Life and Education

Lee Chang-dong was born in Daegu, South Korea. He studied Korean Literature at Kyungpook National University in Daegu, graduating in 1981. During his time at university, he spent a lot of time in the theater, writing and directing plays. After college, he taught Korean in high school. He also became known as a novelist, publishing his first novel Chonri in 1983.

Film Career

Lee Chang-dong did not go to film school. He started his film career when director Park Kwang-su asked him to write a movie script for To the Starry Island. Lee also asked to be an assistant director (AD) for the film. On the first day of filming, he became the main AD because the original one didn't show up. This movie was released in 1993. Later, he wrote A Single Spark in 1995, which won Best Film at the 1995 Blue Dragon Film Awards.

Directing His First Films

After being encouraged by other filmmakers, Lee directed his first movie, Green Fish, in 1997. This film looked at Korean society through the eyes of a young man who gets involved with criminals. Green Fish won Best Film at the Blue Dragon Film Awards and other international awards.

In 2000, Lee made Peppermint Candy. This movie tells the story of a man's life backwards over 20 years of South Korean history. It shows events from student protests in the 1980s up to the year 2000. The film won several awards, including the Special Jury Prize at the Bratislava International Film Festival.

Oasis and Government Role

In 2002, Lee released Oasis. This film is about a mentally ill man and a woman with cerebral palsy. It won the Silver Lion for Best Director at the 2003 Venice Film Festival. Oasis was also South Korea's entry for Best Foreign Language Film at the 75th Academy Awards.

From 2003 to 2004, Lee served as South Korea's Minister of Culture and Tourism. He said he accepted the role because the president wanted someone from the arts to be the minister. In 2006, the French government honored him with the Chevalier (Knight) order of the Legion d'Honneur (Legion of Honor). This was for his work in keeping the "screen quota," which helps promote cultural diversity in films.

Later Films and Awards

Lee's fourth film, Secret Sunshine, was released in 2007. It tells the story of a mother dealing with the loss of her son. The lead actress, Jeon Do-yeon, won the Best Actress award at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival. Secret Sunshine also won Best Feature Film at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards.

In 2009, Lee was a judge for the international competition at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. The next year, his film Poetry was released. It's about a woman in her 60s who starts to learn about poetry while also dealing with Alzheimer's disease. The film received great reviews and won Best Screenplay at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival.

After an eight-year break, Lee returned in 2018 with the film Burning. This mystery film is based on a short story by Haruki Murakami. Burning premiered at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival and won the Fipresci International Critics' Prize. It was chosen as Korea's nominee for Best Foreign Language Film at the 91st Academy Awards.

In March 2019, Lee won Best Director for Burning and a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 13th Asian Film Awards. In May 2025, it was announced that his next movie, Possible Love, will be distributed by Netflix.

Film and Directing Style

Lee Chang-dong's films often explore themes of suffering and feeling lost. He creates stories where characters search for meaning in their lives, even when it's difficult. Memory is also an important theme in his work. His movies often show the challenges faced by ordinary Koreans and reflect the social and political situations in South Korea.

Lee prefers a natural style of directing. He doesn't give actors very specific instructions. Instead, he encourages them to truly become the character and feel what the character feels. He often tells his actors, "Don't act," meaning he wants them to be authentic rather than just performing. He believes that an actor's natural reaction is more important than a planned action.

Literature

Lee Chang-dong is also a respected writer. In 1987, he published his first short story, "Possession." In 1992, his novella There's a Lot of ... in Nokcheon won him The Korea Times Literary Prize. He also published Tenaciousness in 1996.

Lee has said that he writes for one specific person, someone who thinks and feels the same way he does. He feels like he is writing a "love letter" to this person. His short stories "The Dreaming Beast" and "On Destiny" have been published in literary journals.

In 2023, his short story "Snowy Day" was published in The New Yorker. Another short story, "The Leper," was published in The New Yorker in late 2024 and early 2025. His first collection of short stories in English, Snowy Day & Other Stories, was published in early 2025.

Personal Life

Lee Chang-dong is the third of four brothers. They are very close, and his youngest brother, Lee Joon-dong, is a film producer for Lee's movies. When he was young, Lee hoped to become a painter, but he couldn't afford art supplies. He is also good friends with actor Moon Sung-keun, who often appears in his films.

Filmography

Lee Chang-dong at the French Cinematheque, August 2018

Awards and Honors

International Awards

Local Awards

State Honors

See also

In Spanish: Lee Chang-dong para niños

• List of Korean film directors
• Cinema of Korea