Seung-wan Ryoo

Ryoo Seung-wan (b. 1973, South Korea) made inroads into the domestic film scene with his successful independent debut Die Bad (Jukgeona hokeun nabbeugeona, 2000, screened at Karlovy Vary), which he realized two years after his short action comedy Dachimawa lee (1998). He soon became a leading representative of the new wave of Asian action films, in part inspired by the work of his American and British counterparts. He then shot a gritty action picture in which two men take on the underworld, No Blood No Tears (Pido nunmuldo eobshi, 2002), followed by a highly successful action comedy about a young and eager policeman, Arahan jangpung daejakjeon (2004). The boxing flick Crying Fist (2005) diverges from the work typical for his filmography, thematically and in terms of its critical reception: it took the FIPRESCI prize at this year's Cannes IFF in the Directors' Fortnight section. Ryoo Seung-wan writes the scripts for his films and sometimes acts in them. He also regularly casts his younger brother Ryoo Seung-beom.

MFF Karlovy Vary