# Jang Hoon

Jang Hoon (Korean: 장훈; born May 4, 1975) is a South Korean film director. He directed the films Rough Cut (2008), Secret Reunion (2010), The Front Line (2011), and A Taxi Driver (2017).

## Career

Jang Hoon (along with Jang Cheol-soo and Juhn Jai-hong) honed his directorial skills as an assistant director under Kim Ki-duk. His debut film Rough Cut (2008), about a gangster who wants to become an actor and an actor who thinks he is as tough as a gangster, was written and produced by Kim. Rough Cut was much more commercially oriented than Kim's own movies, and the star power of its two leading actors So Ji-sub and Kang Ji-hwan propelled the indie to more than one million admissions, resulting in a profit 10 times its low budget.
Jang's second feature, Secret Reunion (2010), benefited even more from the director's populist sensibility. A story about two intelligence agents, one from South Korea and the other from the North (played by Song Kang-ho and Kang Dong-won, respectively), who approach each other in acts of espionage only to develop an unlikely friendship, the film sold 5.5 million tickets, making it the second highest grossing Korean film of that year.
His third film, The Front Line, was a large-scale war movie that came out during the 2011 summer blockbuster season. Starring Go Soo and Shin Ha-kyun, the film was the most well-received among the ample number of Korean War-themed films and TV dramas commemorating the 60th anniversary of the war. Through the guise of a mystery narrative, the film revolved around the story of South and North Korean soldiers carrying out meaningless sacrifices trying to capture a nameless hill. It was selected as South Korea's submission to the 84th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film, but did not make the final shortlist.
Jang became the subject of controversy when former mentor Kim Ki-duk's documentary-style self-portrait Arirang was released. In the Cannes award-winning film, the elder cineaste explicitly criticized him as "a betrayer" after Jang signed with the film production company Showbox/Mediaplex. Regarding the matter, Jang said, "I hope director Kim can find consolation through Arirang. He is a great teacher and I still respect him very much. I feel very sorry as a pupil of his."
In 2012 Jang, Kang Hyeong-cheol and E J-yong made short films for Samsung Galaxy Note's ambitious PPL-film project Cine Note starring Ha Jung-woo.

## Filmography

* A Taxi Driver 택시 운전사 (director, 2017)
* Cine Note 시네 노트 "Lost Number" (short film, director, 2012)
* The Front Line 고지전 (director, 2011)
* Secret Reunion 의형제 (director, script editor, 2010)
* Rough Cut 영화는 영화다 (director, script editor, 2008)
* Time 시간 (assistant director, assistant editor, 2006)
* The Bow 활 (assistant director, 2005)
* 3-Iron 빈집 (assistant director, 2004)
* Love, So Divine 신부수업 (assistant director, 2004)
* Samaritan Girl 사마리아 (assistant director, 2004)
* Hera Purple 헤라 퍼플 (assistant director, 2001)

## Recurring collaborators

Actor Ko Chang-seok has appeared in all four of Jang's feature films in supporting roles.

## Accolades
### Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
| 2011 | 20th Buil Film Awards | Best Film | The Front Line | Won |
| 2011 | 48th Grand Bell Awards | Best Film | The Front Line | Won |
| 2011 | 48th Grand Bell Awards | Best Director | The Front Line | Nominated |
| 2011 | 31st Korean Association of Film Critics Awards | Best Film | The Front Line | Won |
| 2011 | 31st Korean Association of Film Critics Awards | Best Director | The Front Line | Won |
| 2011 | 32nd Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best Film | The Front Line | Nominated |
| 2012 | 14th Udine Far East Film Festival | Audience Award | The Front Line | Won |
| 2017 | 26th Buil Film Awards | Best Film | A Taxi Driver | Won |
| 2017 | 26th Buil Film Awards | Buil Readers' Jury Award | A Taxi Driver | Won |
| 2017 | 54th Grand Bell Awards | Best Film | A Taxi Driver | Won |
| 2017 | 54th Grand Bell Awards | Best Director | A Taxi Driver | Nominated |
| 2017 | 54th Grand Bell Awards | Technical Award | A Taxi Driver | Nominated |
| 2017 | 54th Grand Bell Awards | Best Planning | A Taxi Driver | Won |
| | 37th Korean Association of Film Critics Awards | Top 10 Films | A Taxi Driver | Won |
| 2017 | 1st The Seoul Awards | Grand Prize (Film) | A Taxi Driver | Nominated |
| 2017 | 3rd Asian World Film Festival | Best Film | A Taxi Driver | Won |
| 2017 | 3rd Asian World Film Festival | Humanitarian Award | A Taxi Driver | Won |
| 2017 | 38th Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best Film | A Taxi Driver | Won |
| 2017 | 38th Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best Director | A Taxi Driver | Nominated |
| 2017 | 38th Blue Dragon Film Awards | Audience Choice Award for Most Popular Film | A Taxi Driver | Won |
| 2017 | 17th Director's Cut Awards | Special Mentions | A Taxi Driver | Won |
| | 25th Korea Culture & Entertainment Awards | Best Film | A Taxi Driver | Won |
| | 25th Korea Culture & Entertainment Awards | Best Director (Film) | A Taxi Driver | Won |
| 2017 | 17th Korea World Youth Film Festival | Favorite Director | A Taxi Driver | Won |
| 2018 | 54th Baeksang Arts Awards | Grand Prize (Film) | A Taxi Driver | Nominated |
| 2018 | 54th Baeksang Arts Awards | Best Film | A Taxi Driver | Nominated |
| 2018 | 54th Baeksang Arts Awards | Best Director (Film) | A Taxi Driver | Nominated |
| 2017 | 23rd Chunsa Film Art Awards | Best Director | A Taxi Driver | Nominated |

### Listicles

Name of publisher, year listed, name of listicle, and placement :
| Publisher | Year | Listicle | Placement | Ref. |
| Sisa Journal | 2017 | Next Generation Leader—Culture, Arts, Sports | 10th | |