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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), as well as Netflix Original Series The 8 Show (2024).

Early life and education

Han Jae-rim was born on July 14, 1975 in Jeju Province. Han graduated from Jeju National University of Education High School and majored in English Literature at Jeju National University, but dropped out and studied film directing at Seoul Institute of the Arts. Han graduated from Seoul Institute of the Arts in 1998.

Career

He began his filmmaking career in 2003 as an assistant director and script editor for Min Byung-chun's film Natural City. 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. 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. Rules of Dating drew critical praise and became a sleeper hit with 1.6 million admissions. 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.

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).

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. The Show Must Go On won Best Film at the Blue Dragon Film Awards and the Korean Association of Film Critics Awards.

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. 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.

In 2010, Han established film production company Wooju Film Co., Ltd. Six years after his last completed film, Han returned to the big screen in 2013 with period drama The Face Reader. 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. 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. It won six trophies at the 50th Grand Bell Awards, including Best Film and Best Director for Han.

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

Han wrote the scenario of The King (2017) in just a month. He was preparing for a martial arts film that wasn't going well, so he wrote this story and it came out quickly. The previous investor wanted him to do a martial arts film, but Han decided to write a unique story that he thought would be easier to produce with a distinctive cast. He considered actor Zo In-sung for the lead role, despite initial doubts about his willingness to take on a risky role. However, after meeting Zo, who expressed a genuine desire to have fun with the project without any strategic calculations, Han was impressed by his flexibility and commitment on set. Collaborating with Zo helped Han overcome his prejudice towards good-looking actors.

In 2019, Han change his company name to Magnum Nine Co., Ltd. Magnum Nine was inspired by the photojournalism group Magnum, which established by Henri Cartier-Bresson and Robert Capa. Han liked their spirit of documenting the world.

Han Jae-rim reunited with Song Kang-ho for the third time and Kim So-jin for the second time in the South Korean disaster film Emergency Declaration, which also stars Lee Byung-hun, Jeon Do-yeon, Kim Nam-gil, Im Si-wan, and Park Hae-joon. Filming resumed on September 12, 2020, after a postponement due to the COVID-19 resurgence in August 2020 and wrapped on October 24, 2020. The film premiered out of competition at the 74th Cannes Film Festival on July 16, 2021 before being released theatrically in South Korea on August 3, 2022. It was screened in various formats, including on a 4DX screen combining 4DX and ScreenX in addition to IMAX.

Recurring cast

Recurring casts in Han's works

ActorWork	Bae Seong-woo	Jo Jung-suk	Kim So-jin	Lee Yul-eum	Ryu Jun-yeol	Song Kang-ho	Tae In-ho
Rules of Dating
The Show Must Go On						Y
Very Ordinary Couple							Y
The Face Reader		Y			Y	Y
The Exclusive: Beat the Devil's Tattoo	Y	Y					Y
The King	Y		Y		Y
Emergency Declaration			Y	Y		Y
The 8 Show	Y			Y	Y

Filmography

Film

Web series

Television commercial

Accolades

Emergency Declaration premiered in out of competition at the 74th Cannes Film Festival on July 16, 2021.

Awards and nominations

See also

• List of Korean film directors
• Cinema of Korea

Notes

1. Co-directing with Jeju's born directors Oh Myul and Yang Yun-ho
2. Co-written with Go Yoon-hee, the film was retitled "Rules of Dating" when it was made.

References

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External links

• Han Jae-rim at the Korean Movie Database
• Han Jae-rim at IMDb
• Han Jae-rim at HanCinema

• Best Actor for Grand Bell Awards winners
• 1975 births
• Living people
• South Korean film directors
• South Korean screenwriters
• South Korean film producers
• Seoul Institute of the Arts alumni
• People from Jeju Province