Director Byun Sung-hyun questions next-generationlabel

Who Is the Next Generation in Korean Cinema?

In a 2020 survey of filmmakers conducted by The Dong-A Ilbo, director Byun Sung-hyun, 46, was identified as a rising talent who could emerge as a “post–Bong Joon Ho.” He made his directorial debut at age 32 with My PS Partner and later earned both commercial success and critical recognition with The Merciless.

Meeting reporters at an office in Jung-gu, Seoul, on Monday, Byun recalled the reaction after the article was published. “I was teased quite a bit after that piece came out,” he said with a laugh. “For about a month my nickname was ‘Po-bong,’ short for ‘post–Bong Joon Ho.’” Despite the teasing, his name still regularly appears when industry observers discuss promising directors in their 30s and 40s. Since 2020, he has continued to reinforce that reputation with a string of high-profile works, including Kingmaker, Kill Boksoon and Good News.

Byun is scheduled to take part on Thursday in a talk concert marking the 20th anniversary of the CJ Cultural Foundation. He made his debut as a commercial film director through the foundation’s rookie filmmaker support program, Project S, launched in 2010 and now known as Story Up.

“I entered the film industry simply to make a living,” Byun said. He came across the contest by chance and admitted that the prize money was “a very strong temptation.” A script he wrote in just a day or two won the competition and soon led to an offer to adapt it into a film. That project eventually became My PS Partner.

“I’m different from people who dreamed of becoming film directors from a young age,” he said. “Others told me I had talent, and that made me think I should turn it into a profession. Compared with many great directors, I may lack that relentless devotion to cinema. I sometimes think that is an inherent limitation.”

Still, the experience changed the trajectory of his life. My PS Partner was produced on a relatively modest budget of about 3 billion won, yet Byun said he was struck by the sophistication of the filmmaking and distribution system. “After directing a romantic comedy, which I did not usually watch, I felt an even stronger urge to make the kind of films I truly love,” he said.

Fourteen years later, Byun says his perspective has changed considerably. He originally entered the industry simply to “make a decent living,” but now says he almost regrets discovering his passion for cinema so late in life. Yet the label attached to him has remained the same.

“I’ve been working for about 15 years, but I’m still introduced as a ‘next-generation director,’ just as I was at the beginning,” he said. “Whenever I hear that, I find myself wondering when exactly I will become part of the current generation.”

The remark may sound lighthearted, but it also hints at a deeper issue. Generational turnover in the Korean film industry has not always progressed smoothly. Byun said he believes his cohort may have been among the last to receive opportunities from commercial film companies after starting out in short or independent films.

His belief that newcomers need more avenues to break into the industry has also shaped his own actions. Byun recently joined as a co-writer on the film Pamun, directed by Kim Sun-kyung, who once worked as the most junior assistant director on the set of Kingmaker. After watching Kim’s graduation project, Byun encouraged the younger filmmaker to pursue writing, helped refine the early draft of the script and arranged meetings with production companies.

“I tend to think that if I am someone who is being used, I should try to remain useful for as long as possible,” he said. “I don’t have much talent for producing, but I am very interested in serving as a mentor, especially when it comes to helping with writing.”

Filming for Pamun, starring actors Esom and Byun Yo-han, is scheduled to begin between March and April.


김태언 beborn@donga.com