Lee Chang-dong

**Lee Chang-dong** (born July 4, 1954) is a South Korean movie director, screenwriter and novelist. He won the 2008 Special Director's Prize at the Asian Film Awards and has been nominated for the Golden Lion and Palme d'Or. Lee was South Korea's Minister of Culture and Tourism from 2003 to 2004.

He graduated in 1981 with a degree in Korean Literature from Kyungpook National University in Daegu. After a teaching Korean Language in high school using his major, he established himself as a renowned novelist. Later in his career, to the surprise of many, he turned to movie making.

Lee did not study movie making before starting movie making. He penned two screenplays, Park Kwang-su's *To the Starry Island* in 1993 and *A Single Spark* in 1995. Lee then directed *Green Fish* in 1997.

In 2000, Lee made *Peppermint Candy*. It is a story following a single man in reverse chronology through 20 years of South Korean history. All of his movies have received critical acclaim and awards. *Oasis*, a story involving a mentally ill man and a woman with cerebral palsy, won the prestigious Director's Award at the 2003 Venice Film Festival.

He is very good at expressing the plain life of ordinary people on the screen. He also maintains popularity even though sometimes he makes stories about serious social problems.

He served as the minister of Culture and Tourism in the South Korean Government from 2003 to 2004.

## Filmography 
* *To the Starry Island* (1993) *screenplay
* *A Single Spark* (1995) *screenplay
* *Green Fish* (1997)
* *Peppermint Candy* (2000)
* *Oasis* (2002)
* *Secret Sunshine* (2007)
* *Poetry* (2010)

## Awards 
* Legion d'Honneur – Jacques Chirac Administration in 2006

### *Poetry* 
* 2010 – Best Screenplay, Cannes Film Festival

### *Secret Sunshine* 
* 2008 – Best Film, Asian Film Awards
* 2008 – Best Director, Asian Film Awards
* 2007 – Best Actress (won by Jeon Do-yeon), Cannes Film Festival
* 2007 – Best Feature Film, Asia Pacific Screen Awards
* 2007 – Best Performance by an Actress, Asia Pacific Screen Awards
* 2007 – Best Picture, Korean Film Awards
* 2007 – Best Director, Korean Film Awards
* 2007 – Special Award, Grand Bell Awards

### *Oasis* 
* 2003 – Best Director, Paeksang Arts Awards
* 2003 – Three Castles Award, Castellinaria International Festival of Young Cinema
* 2003 – Audience Award, Gardanne Film Festival
* 2003 – Chief Dan George Humanitarian Award, Vancouver International Film Festival
* 2003 – FIPRESCI Prize, Venice Film Festival
* 2003 – SIGNIS Award, Venice Film Festival
* 2003 – Special Director's Award, Venice Film Festival
* 2003 – Golden Lion (Nominated), Venice Film Festival
* 2005 – Best Foreign Film (Nominated), Independent Spirit Awards

### *Peppermint Candy* 
* 2000 – Special Jury Prize, Bratislava International Film Festival
* 2000 – Best Film, Grand Bell Awards, South Korea
* 2000 – Don Quijote Award, Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
* 2000 – Netpac Award – Special Mention, Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
* 2000 – Special Prize of the Jury, Karlovy Vary International Film Festival

### *Green Fish* 
* 1997 – Best Film, Blue Dragon Awards
* 1997 – Dragons and Tigers Award, Vancouver International Film Festival
* 1998 – Netpac Award – Special Mention, Rotterdam International Film Festival

### *A Single Spark* 
* 1995 – Best Film, Blue Dragon Awards

## Other websites 
* Interview @ Firecracker #10 
* Nomination for the Gucci Group Award to be presented on September 3, 2007 at Venice's Palazzo Grassi during the 64th Venice Film Festival. 
*Lee Chang Dong Retrospective Singapore 2011