KIM Tae-gon is a film director better known for being the leader of the group KwangHwaMoon Cinema, which introduced a new model of collaborative filmmaking to the Korean industry. Having studied film at Chung-Ang University, he was first credited as an assistant director for the gangster comedy <My Boss, My Hero> (2001). He made his feature debut in 2008 with the indie horror movie <The Pot>, but would mostly remember this as a very challenging experience. While h...More

KIM Tae-gon is a film director better known for being the leader of the group KwangHwaMoon Cinema, which introduced a new model of collaborative filmmaking to the Korean industry. Having studied film at Chung-Ang University, he was first credited as an assistant director for the gangster comedy <My Boss, My Hero> (2001). He made his feature debut in 2008 with the indie horror movie <The Pot>, but would mostly remember this as a very challenging experience. While he was doing a master’s degree in scenario at the Film School of the Korea National University of Arts, he started working on his sophomore feature <Sunshine Boys> (2012) and several fellow students volunteered to help him for free, occupying various important positions above and below the line. Feeling immensely grateful to them for their support, he was resolved to return the favor and therefore suggested them to set up as a group, so they could keep helping each other on their respective debut features. They started by renting together a studio near Gwanghwamun, Seoul, and so, when the Busan International Film Festival selected <Sunshine Boys> and asked KIM for the name of the production company, he formalized the creation of the group by writing down “KwangHwaMoon Cinema”. KIM would contribute in various capacities to the production of the movies from the three other directors in the group, namely WOO Moon-gi’s <The King of Jokgu> (2013), LEE Yo-sup’s <The Queen of Crime> (2016) and JEON Go-woon’s <Microhabitat> (2017). As this unique association of filmmakers became a household name in the Korean independent film landscape, KIM eventually received the opportunity to work with big studios and made in 2016 the social comedy <Familyhood> (2016).Less