Lee Yoo-jin (filmmaker)

Lee Yoo-jin (Korean: 이유진) is a South Korean filmmaker and businesswoman.^[1] As CEO of Zip Cinema, a film production company based in Seoul, she is known for producing Hirokazu Kore-eda's critically acclaimed film Broker. Broker premiered at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, where it competed for the Palme d'Or and won the Ecumenical Jury Award. The film also marked a historic win for Song Kang-ho, who became the first South Korean actor to win Best Actor in the Cannes Film Festival history. Additionally, the film won the Best International Film award in the CineMasters competition section at the Munich Film Festival.

Lee began her career in film marketing, working on E J-yong's film An Affair (1998) at the film company Bom. She made her debut as a producer with E J-yong's subsequent film, Untold Scandal (2003). After working on other major titles, including Park Jin-pyo's You Are My Sunshine (2005) and Kim Jee-woon's A Bittersweet Life (2005), she established Zip Cinema in 2005 and has served as its CEO ever since.

Lee began her professional career as a copywriter at Conrad, an advertising agency operating as a subsidiary of the former Haitai Group. Her tenure spanned seven years, during which she achieved significant professional achievements. Her most notable contribution was the Daewoo Electronics 'Tank Series' commercial campaign. This work was instrumental in improving the brand's image, which had previously struggled in comparison to market leaders like Samsung and LG. The campaign successfully utilized the image of Chairman Bae Soon-hoonand centered on the theme of durability, resulting in an enhancement of Daewoo's brand perception. Despite her professional recognition, Lee felt her interests drifting elsewhere, prompting her to leave Conrad in 1997. Her departure was met with resistance; the company initially refused to accept her resignation, even continuing to deposit her salary for over a year and telling her they would leave her position open. Her former colleagues described her move from the successful agency to the film industry as choosing a "bed of thorns" over a "bed of flowers."^[2]

Lee Yoo-jin began her career in the film industry as the marketing director for the film An Affair at Bom Films, a production company led by her cousin, Oh Jung-wan. Initially believing the role would be akin to advertising, she soon recognized significant differences between the two fields. At the large Conrad agency, her work was highly structured, whereas at the smaller Bom Films, with fewer than 10 employees, her responsibilities encompassed a wide range of activities, including planning commercials, casting, and carrying equipment. This transition also involved a substantial pay cut, from 40 million won annually at Conrad to 7 million won, illustrating the competitive and passionate nature of the film industry, where, as she was informed, "there's a long line of people who want to make movies." Lee described her early experiences as feeling like "standing in a wilderness," due to the demanding hours and commitment required for long-term projects, stating, "I'm not someone who lives and breathes movies."^[2]

Despite initial challenges, Lee committed to a few years in the industry. The premiere of her first film, An Affair, in October 1998 marked a pivotal moment for her. Witnessing a long queue of viewers in Jongno, Seoul, during the Chuseok holiday provided her with a profound sense of accomplishment, leading her to realize, "Ah, this is the joy of movies." Following this success, she informed the president of Conrad that she would not be returning to advertising. An Affair was notable for its innovative marketing strategies, featuring the title in vertical Chinese characters (情事) on its poster, and a 15-second TV commercial that evocatively recreated a key scene from the film.^[2]

Lee continued her career in the industry. She made her debut as a producer with E J-yong's subsequent film, Untold Scandal (2003), which starred Bae Yong-joon, Jeon Do-yeon, and Lee Mi-sook. The film held particular significance for her. She expressed a desire to create a new type of historical drama, noting that previous works in the genre were often limited to martial arts or erotic themes, and that investors were hesitant to fund historical dramas lacking action. Additionally, she opted for an English title, reflecting her innovative approach. It achieved considerable commercial success, attracting 3.52 million viewers.^[2]

Following this, Lee produced A Table for Four and Three Monsters. She then produced Kim Jee-woon's A Bittersweet Life. She noted her interest in Kim Jee-woon's A Tale of Two Sisters, expressing surprise that a director known for horror films would venture into the film noir genre with A Bittersweet Life.^[3]

After contributing to major films such as Park Jin-pyo's You Are My Sunshine (2005) and Kim Jee-woon's A Bittersweet Life (2005), Lee Yoo-jin established Zip Cinema in December 2005 and has been its CEO since.^[4] Actor Bae Yong-joon's suggestion, whom she met during the production of Untold Scandal, influenced her decision to found the company,^[5] with the goal of "creating something of my own with greater initiative."^[6] In 2006, Zip Cinema released its first production, Park Jin-pyo's Voice of a Murderer, starring Sul Kyung-gu, which achieved sales of 3 million tickets.^[7]

The following year, Lee produced Hur Jin-ho's Happiness. 2007 also marked Lee's international recognition at the 32nd Toronto International Film Festival, where Variety magazine named her one of "10 Producers to Watch," the only Asian filmmaker to receive the honor. The magazine celebrated this achievement at an exclusive party on September 7, attended by 300 leading filmmakers from around the world.^[8][9]

Zip Cinema's third project was a collaboration with Soo Film to adapt Fumi Yoshinaga's manga Antique Bakery. Min Kyu-dong directed the film, which featured Ju Ji-hoon, Kim Jae-wook, Yoo Ah-in, and Choi Ji-ho in its cast. Antique was selected to be screened at the 59th Berlin International Film Festival.^[10] While the film was released on DVD in the UK on February 11, 2013, as Antique Bakery, its official English title in South Korea and at international film festivals was simply Antique.^[11]

In 2009, Lee released two films. She reunited with Park Jin-pyo for Closer to Heaven, a romantic drama starring Ha Ji-won and Kim Myung-min.^{[12][13][14][15]} The film topped the South Korean box office for three weeks following its release on September 24, 2009.^[16] Closer to Heaven was the first melodrama since 2006's Maundy Thursday to sell over two million tickets^[17] and ultimately became the 10th highest-grossing film of the year with 2,153,068 admissions.^[18]

The other 2009 film saw Lee collaborate with a new director, Choi Dong-hoon, for Jeon Woo-chi: The Taoist Wizard, also known as Woochi: The Demon Slayer.^[19] This fantasy action-comedy, based on a Korean folktale, stars Gang Dong-won in the title role.^[20][21][22] It marked a departure for Choi from his previous heist films Tazza: The High Rollers and The Big Swindle. this big-budget, special effects-filled action romp that was equally popular with the Korean audience, earning over six million admissions over the 2009 Christmas period.^[23] The film became the 3rd best-selling film of 2009 in Korea, with 6,100,532 tickets sold nationwide.^[24]

Reuniting with Gang Dong-won, Lee worked with new director Kim Min-seok on Haunters, a science fiction action film. Haunters depicts the struggle between Cho-in (Gang Dong-won), a psychic who can control people's minds, and Kyu-nam (Go Soo), a man immune to Cho-in's powers. Prior to its release, Haunters recorded the highest advance ticket sales for a Korean film in 2010, with 83.47 percent according to Max Movie; It was the first time in four years, after The Host, for bookings to surpass the 80 percent mark. The film opened number one at the South Korean box office, on its opening weekend, November 12 to 14.^[25] It held the top spot for ticket sales for two weeks, before dropping to third place in its third week.^[26] By the end of its run, the film sold a total of 2,152,577 tickets nationwide.^[27] At the Asian Film Market during the 2010 Busan International Film Festival, distribution rights were sold to countries including Thailand, Taiwan, Malaysia, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg.^[28]

Lee later collaborated with director Min Kyu-dong again on the romantic comedy All About My Wife, a remake of the Argentine film Un novio para mi mujer ("A Boyfriend for My Wife").^[29] The story center on a timid husband who hires a professional Casanova to seduce his seemingly perfect but fearsome wife, hoping this will make her divorce him.^[30] The film, which features Im Soo-jung, Lee Sun-kyun and Ryu Seung-ryong,^[31][32] was released in theaters on May 17, 2012.^[33] With 594,195 tickets sold during its opening weekend from May 18 to 20, the film debuted at the top of the local box office, successfully competing against Hollywood blockbusters like The Avengers and Men in Black 3. Benefiting from positive word-of-mouth, it continued its impressive commercial run, with over 4.5 million admissions in total.

In a notable reunion with Sul Kyung-gu after a few years, Lee produced the action thriller Cold Eyes, directed and written by Cho Ui-seok and Kim Byeong-seo, a remake of the 2007 Hong Kong film Eye in the Sky. The film stars Sul Kyung-gu alongside Jung Woo-sung and Han Hyo-joo, and follows detectives from the surveillance team of a special crime unit as they track down a highly efficient and dangerous robber and his crew.^{[34][35][36][37][38]} Cold Eyes made its North American premiere at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival,^[39][40][41] and was also screened at the 2013 Busan International Film Festival in the Open Cinema section.^[42][43] The film earned box office records with 2.17 million admissions in its first week of release.^[44] After 17 days, it reached 4 million admissions, admissions.and ultimately reached 5,506,409 total admissions at the end of its run.^[45][46]

Her next project was reunion with director E J-yong in adapting the 2011 novel "My Palpitating Life" by Kim Ae-ran. The film marks director E J-yong's return to commercial filmmaking after focusing on low-budget experimental works such as Actresses (2009) and Behind the Camera (2013).^[47] In a 2014 interview with South China Morning Post, actors Song Hye-kyo and Gang Dong-won spoke about their decisions to sign on to My Brilliant Life, they stated that the script "read as more restrained, but nevertheless thought-provoking on the subjects of family and loss."^[47] My Brilliant Life won the Third Place Audience Award at the 17th Udine Far East Film Festival in 2015.^[48]

The film was released under CJ Entertainment in Korea on September 3, 2014.^[49] It also secured a release contract with Beijing Culture Media in 2014, although Spackman, the investment group under which Zip Cinema operates, declined to clarify whether Chinese distribution would be treated as an import or revenue-sharing quota release.^[50] In China, the film was distributed by China Film Group, the largest state-owned film enterprise in the country at the time, and opened on approximately 5,000 screens nationwide.^[50]

As of October 2018, the film has been screened on 629 screens, with 1,624,601 admissions and a gross of US$10,799,650 (approximately 12.3 billion won) in South Korean box offices.^[51] The film resonated particularly well with male viewers and parents.^[52] In its opening weekend, it ranked third, following the highly-popular Tazza 2 (2014) and English-language French film Lucy (2014). The film grossed a total of $7.89 million in its first three weekends.^[53]

As the producer for Zip Cinema for a decade, Lee achieved a notable success, with none of her films losing money. Only two, Happiness and Antique, failed to break even, but she recovered the cost with additional rights and overseas sales.^[54] Through her consistent production of successful films, Lee has established herself as one of the leading female producers in Chungmuro, alongside peers like Shim Jae-myung, CEO of Myung Films, known for Architecture 101.^[7] This marks a notable era for second-generation female producers, with Lee and her contemporaries making significant strides in the industry.^[55]

Lee's next project, The Priests holds special significance for her, as it represents both the 10th anniversary production of Zip Cinema and its 10th film. This project not only reflects the culmination of a decade for the production company but also serves as a crucial stepping stone for its future endeavors. However, there were concerns surrounding The Priests, given its risky elements for an anniversary project, including its exploration of the occult—an underrepresented genre in Korea—and the unconventional premise of a "priest rescuing a possessed girl."^[56] The film was written and directed by Jang Jae-hyun, based on his award-winning short film 12th Assistant Deacon.^{[57][58][59][60]}

The cast includes Kim Yoon-seok as Father Kim, Gang Dong-won as Deacon Choi, Park So-dam as Young-shin, and Kim Eui-sung as the Dean of Clergy. The Priests debuted at number one during its opening weekend, grossing ₩13 billion.^[61][62][63] By its third weekend, the film had grossed ₩35 billion at the South Korean box office.^{[64][65][66][67]}

Lee was the pivotal force behind the international co-production of the film Broker, essentially serving as the bridge that united people of different nationalities and languages. The origins of the project date back approximately five years before its 2022 release. Lee, who maintained a close friendship with Director Hirokazu Koreeda, became intrigued when he shared the synopsis for the film with her. The director had a long-held desire to make a film in Korea with Korean actors but struggled with the story. After seeing articles and documentaries about the "Baby Box", a place for mothers to anonymously drop off unwanted babies, Koreeda found his inspiration. Lee then accompanied him on multiple visits to Korea for scenario research and followed the process as he wrote and continually revised the first draft of the script over several years.^[68]

Once the screenplay was complete, Lee drove the project forward by securing investment from CJ Entertainment. She was also key in assembling the star-studded cast, securing actors Song Kang-ho, Gang Dong-won, and Lee Ji-eun (IU). With Lee's groundwork and Koreeda's long-developed script, the film gained full momentum.^[68] The film had its world premiere at the main competition of the 2022 Cannes Film Festivalon 26 May, where it won the Ecumenical Jury Award and the Best Actor Award for Song Kang-ho. It was theatrically released in South Korea on 8 June by CJ E&M.^[69] Additionally, the film won the Best International Film award in the CineMasters competition section at the Munich Film Festival.^[70]

Immediately after the awards ceremony, Lee specifically mentioned Song Kang-ho's historic win, noting that he was the first Korean actor to receive the Cannes Best Actor Award. Reflecting on the filming process, Lee praised Song's work, stating that even when she questioned if a scene would succeed, Song created "all plausibility with his unexpected acting." She concluded by congratulating him on becoming an actor recognized globally, adding, "He is an actor whose passionate attitude towards his work is truly admirable. I am honored as well."^[71]

• Lee Yoo-jin at the Korean Movie Database
• Lee Yoo-jin at Naver