NOW considered a superstar in Korea, actor Lee Jung Jae quietly went behind the camera and is making a bigger splash with his directorial film debut, Hunt.
After the phenomenal success of Squid Game, the South Korean survival drama television series’ lead actor Lee was catapulted to worldwide fame, hailed by international critics, and even took home best actor trophies from the Screen Actors’ Guild, the Independent Spirit Awards and the Critics’ Choice Awards.
Wanting to spread his artistic wings that grew from more than 30 years of acting, Lee decided to take on the challenge to become a filmmaker. Described as an espionage action film, Hunt had its world premiere at the 2022 Cannes International Film Festival and it caused quite a stir among festival fans.
Although originally offered a role in the film, Lee decided to make a detour and requested to be allowed to also sit in the director’s chair. “After reading the original material, I thought I could create a lot of common threads between two men who have devoted themselves to a greater cause and a bigger purpose. I tried to search for a writer and director that possessed a similar creative vision, but I could not find one, so I took on the task of developing the screenplay myself.”
He added, “For many years, I have rewritten a considerable amount of material, and I focused on establishing convincing motivations for each of the characters. These motivations had to be pressing so that the characters would collide with one another with intensity, a kind of intensity that can spread all over the screen.”
Acknowledging that there have been narratives in the past about the seemingly unending conflict between North and South Korea, Lee said the film strays from other films because it tells the story about one’s principles and the causes one fights so hard for. “I’d like to think that this film is more about the people who are working to right their ill-conceived ideologies rather than just tell a story about North and South Korea. I believe that it is always important to continuously ask ourselves if our beliefs and principles are rooted in honor and love.
We caught recently a special screening of the film which also stars Jung Woo Sung, Jeon Hye Jin, Heo Sung Tae, Kim Song Joon and Jung Man Sik. The screening was organized by Glimmer Inc., a content production company owned by television and radio personality, host, DJ and newsanchor turned businesswoman Grace Lee, who sat down with us for a few minutes to share her thoughts about the film and her excitement with its opening in Philippine cinemas on August 31.
“I am just so thrilled to be able to bring this much talked-about Korean film to the Philippines. Many Filipinos continue to be drawn to anything Korean, and cinema is one platform that is universal,” shared Lee.
Though Korean by birth, Grace grew up in Manila, speaks Filipino very fluently and this diverse background allowed her a unique perspective and vision of merging the technical excellence and creative expertise of both countries and share it with the region. “My company aims to be a bridge that connects both our countries through cinema, and we have started taking big steps to see an exchange of great talent from both countries through content and coproduction. We are working continuously to produce Korean and local content for regional audiences, with Manila as our hub.”
A new film has started producttion last March, shot mostly on location in the Philippines, with both Korean and Philippine actors and production experts. “I will be making the big announcement soon, now that the project is already on its final stages of principal photography,” Lee enthused.