Ahn Tae-jin (Korean: 안태진; born 1972) is a South Korean film director and filmmaker. He is known for his historical film The Night Owl (2022), for which he has received numerous accolades as the best new director. Some of these awards include the 28th Chunsa International Film Festival New Director Award, the 28th Chunsa International Film Festival Screenplay Award, the 44th Blue Dragon Film Awards New Director Award, and the 59th Grand Bell Awards Film Festival New Director Award.
Ahn Tae-jin | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1972 (age 51–52) |
| Occupations | |
| Spouse |
undisclosed (m. 2005) |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 안태진 |
| Revised Romanization | Ahn Tae-jin |
| McCune–Reischauer | Ahn Tae-jin |
Early life
editAfter watching Back to the Future on its opening day at the Daehan Theater, 16-year-old Ahn was inspired to pursue a career as a film director.[1]
Career
editThe Night Owl marks director Ahn Tae-jin's official debut as a director 17 years after being an assistant director for Lee Jun-ik's The King and the Clown in 2005. This is the first work presented to the audience under the title.[2][3]
It took him 17 years to direct his first film. After filming The King and the Clown ended, Ahn began writing the screenplay and completed a noir screenplay with the working title Diver within a year. He sent this to the film company, but there was no response. Even after that, the work fell through several times. There were 10 scenarios or treatments (more detailed outlines than synopses) written before The Night Owl. All failed in investment and casting. The action noir scenario, which took nearly three years to complete, was brought to the production stage by recruiting famous actors around 2011, but failed to receive investment. At this time, he was most frustrated. Fortunately, the frustration was short and short-lived.[4]
He worked as a courier to earn living expenses. The district he was in charge of at the time was Chungmuro. When he went to a film studio to deliver something, he would leave the item behind and sneak out. He even earned about 1 million won a month through early morning milk delivery. What he realized at that time was that his favorite thing to do was movies. The anxiety that he would never be able to work in movies again if his debut film went wrong became the driving force that made him pour all his effort into it.[4]
In 2018, Ahn was first offered to write the story by Baek Yeon-ja, CEO of Damdam, a film company. At first, there was only a very simple narrative: the main character with blindness enters the palace and witnesses a secret. The idea was so interesting that he accepted the offer and added to the story using the thriller genre, which he always liked.[1][5]
At the end of 2022, when the slump in Korean films was severe, the number of viewers reached 3.32 million, ranking 8th in the annual box office in 2022. Among the works released at the same time, The Night Owl is the only Korean film to exceed 1 million viewers.[6]
In particular, the moment when his debut feature film, The Night Owl, which he released 17 years after rewriting numerous scripts after working as an assistant director for the 2005 film 'The King and the Clown', was named the winner of the Best Picture award at the Baeksang Arts Awards, was a moment that gave hope to all filmmakers and aspiring filmmakers.[6]
Personal life
editAhn married his wife in 2005 when The King and the Clown was released. His wife worked for the company and served as the head of the household for 17 years.[4]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Credited as | Ref. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English | Korean | Directing Department | Assistant Director | Director | Screenwriter | ||
| 2004 | Hi! Dharma 2: Showdown in Seoul | 달마야, 서울가자 | Staff | — | — | — | [7] |
| 2005 | The King and the Clown | 왕의 남자 | — | Yes | [8] | ||
| 2006 | Series Dasepo Naughty Girl | 시리즈 다세포 소녀 | — | Co-directing | [9] | ||
| 2022 | The Night Owl | 올빼미 | Yes | Yes | [10][11] | ||
Accolades
edit| Award ceremony | Year | Category | Nominee | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baeksang Arts Awards | 2023 | Best Film | The Night Owl | Won | [12] |
| Best Director | Ahn Tae-jin | Nominated | |||
| Best New Director | Won | ||||
| Best Screenplay | Ahn Tae-jin and Hyun Kyu-ri | Nominated | |||
| Director's Cut Awards | 2023 | Best New Director in film | Ahn Tae-jin | Won | [13] |
| Best Director in film | Nominated | [14] | |||
| Best Screenplay | Ahn Tae-jin and Hyun Kyu-ri | Nominated | |||
| Korean Association of Film Critics Awards | Best New Director | Ahn Tae-jin | Won | [15] | |
| Buil Film Awards | 2023 | Best New Director | Ahn Tae-jin | Nominated | [16] |
| Best Screenplay | Ahn Tae-jin and Hyun Kyu-ri | Nominated | |||
| Best Film | The Night Owl | Nominated | |||
| Golden Cinema Film Festival | 2023 | Best Director | Ahn Tae-jin | Won | [17] |
| Grand Bell Awards | 2023 | Best Film | The Night Owl | Nominated | [18][19] |
| Best New Director | Ahn Tae-jin | Won | |||
| Best Screenplay | Ahn Tae-jin and Hyun Kyu-ri | Won | |||
| Blue Dragon Film Awards | 2023 | Best Film | The Night Owl | Nominated | [20][21] |
| Best New Director | Ahn Tae-jin | Won | |||
| Best Screenplay | Ahn Tae-jin and Hyun Kyu-ri | Nominated |
References
edit- ^ a b ""수월하게 다 해내는 배우들…다른 세대의 출현 같았어요"" [“The actors who do everything easily... It was like the emergence of another generation”]. “수월하게 다 해내는 배우들…다른 세대의 출현 같았어요” (in Korean). 15 December 2022. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
- ^ "'올빼미' 안태진 감독 "극장서 눈·귀 열고 보면 좋을 영화"" ['Owl' Director Ahn Tae-jin "A good movie to open your eyes and ears in the theatre"]. The Korea Economic Daily (in Korean). 2022-11-15. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
- ^ "[리뷰] '올빼미', 우직한 상상력이 추동한 뒷심 좋은 결말" [[Review] 'Owl', a good ending with an honest imagination]. 씨네21 (in Korean). 2022-11-23. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
- ^ a b c ""엎어졌다고 아무것 안하면 정말 끝… 17년 시나리오 쓰고 또 써"" ["If you don't do anything because you fell down, it's really over... Write a 17-year scenario and write it again"]. The Dong-a Ilbo (in Korean). 2022-12-29. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
- ^ "[인터뷰] '올빼미' 안태진 감독, "시선의 공백이 주는 서스펜스"" [[Interview] 'Owl' Director Ahn Tae-jin, "The suspense of the gap of gaze"]. 씨네21 (in Korean). 2022-11-24. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
- ^ a b "'17년차 신인' 안태진 감독, 영화인의 희망으로" ['17th Year Rookie' Director Ahn Tae-jin, with the hope of a filmmaker]. 스포츠Q(큐) (in Korean). 2023-04-29. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
- ^ "KMDb - Hi, Dharma 2 - Showdown in Seoul (Dalma-ya, Seoul Gaja)". Korean Movie Database. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
- ^ "KMDb - King and the Clown (Wang-ui Namja)". Korean Movie Database. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
- ^ "KMDb - Series Dasepo Naughty Girl (Si-ri-jeu Da-se-po So-nyeo)". Korean Movie Database. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
- ^ Kim Da-eun (October 4, 2022). "유해진X류준열 사극 스릴러 '올빼미' 11월 23일 개봉확정" [Yoo Hae-jin X Ryu Jun-yeol's historical thriller 'Owl' confirmed for release on November 23rd] (in Korean). Ilgan Sports. Archived from the original on October 13, 2022. Retrieved October 13, 2022 – via Naver.
- ^ "KMDb - The Night Owl (Olppaemi)". Korean Movie Database. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
- ^ Park Soo-in (April 29, 2023). "'헤어질 결심' 대상→더 글로리' 3관왕, 이변 없는 수상[백상예술대상①]" ['Decision to break up' Daesang→The Glory' 3 crowns, no surprises [Baeksang Arts Awards ①]] (in Korean). Newsen. Retrieved April 29, 2023 – via Naver.
- ^ Yoon, Ki-baek (February 24, 2023). "박찬욱 '헤어질 결심', 디렉터스컷 어워즈 5관왕" [Park Chan-wook's 'Decision to Break Up' wins 5 Director's Cut Awards] (in Korean). E-daily. Retrieved February 24, 2023 – via Naver.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Yang, So-young (September 4, 2023). "김서형 류준열, 영평상 주연상 받는다...작품상은 '다음 소희" [Kim Seo-hyung Ryu Jun-yeol, Youngpyeong Award for Best Actor... 'Next Sohee' for Best Picture] (in Korean). Star Today. Retrieved September 6, 2023 – via Naver.
- ^ Nam, Yoo-jung; Lee, Woo-young (2023-08-27). "누가 받아도 될 정도로 훌륭한 후보들, 그중 최고는 누구?" [Great candidates to anyone can accept, who is the best of them?]. Naver News (in Korean). Retrieved 2023-08-27.
- ^ Yang, So-young (October 20, 2023). "류준열 김서형 황금촬영상 주연상...'올빼미' 6관왕" [Ryu Jun-yeol Kim Seo-hyung Golden Cinematography Award for Leading Actor...'Owl' wins 6 awards]. Star Today (in Korean). Retrieved November 3, 2023 – via Naver.
- ^ Oh Seung-hyeon (November 15, 2023). "이병헌·김서형 주연상→'콘크리트 유토피아' 작품상까지 4관왕(부일영)'대종상 싹쓸이' 최민식·한효주, 디즈니 쾌거…넷플릭스 눌렀다 [종합]" [Choi Min-sik and Han Hyo-joo, 'sweep the Grand Bell Awards', Disney's feat... Netflix clicked [Comprehensive]]. Xports News (in Korean). Naver. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
- ^ Lee Ha-neul (November 15, 2023). """힘든 시기 속 명맥 이어가길" 제59회 대종상, '콘유' 6관왕→여우상 '무빙' 한효주까지[종합]" [“May we continue to live in this difficult time” 59th Grand Bell Awards, 6 wins for ‘Con Yu’ → Han Hyo-joo for Best Actress for ‘Moving’ [Comprehensive]]. Ten Asia (in Korean). Naver. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
- ^ Baek Ji-eun (November 24, 2023). [44th청룡] 김혜수, 영원한 청룡영화상 "후회없이 충실했던 30년, 모든 순간이 영광"(종합) [[44th Blue Dragon] Kim Hye-soo, Eternal Blue Dragon Film Award ㅊ30 years of faithfulness without regrets, every moment is glorious" (Comprehensive)]. Sports Chosun (in Korean). Retrieved November 24, 2023 – via Naver.
- ^ Park Dong-je (November 25, 2023). [종합]'청룡영화상', '밀수' 최우수작품상-이병헌·정유미 남녀주연상..굿바이 김혜수 [[Comprehensive]'Blue Dragon Film Awards', 'Smuggler' Best Picture - Lee Byung-hun, Jung Yu-mi, Best Actor and Actress... Goodbye, Kim Hye-soo]. Break News (in Korean). Retrieved November 25, 2023.
External links
edit- Ahn Tae-jin at IMDb
- Ahn Tae-jin at HanCinema
- Ahn Tae-jin at the Korean Movie Database
