Kwon Jong-gwan

Kwon Jong-kwan is a South Korean filmmaker. He is known for directing the feature films S Diary, Sad Movie, and Proof of Innocence.

Career

Kwon Jong-kwan graduated from Kyung Hee University with a degree in Korean Language and Literature. He received recognition for his debut short films 28th October 1979 ''and A Sunny Sunday, which were selected for various film festivals. The short film won the Best Film award in the Wide Angel section at the Busan International Film Festival and the 37th Grand Bell Award for Short Film.
In 2001, He achieved a milestone by winning the Grand Bell Award for Short Film for two consecutive years with his subsequent short film Uncle 'Bar' At Barbershop at the 38th Grand Bell Award. This short was also invited to the San Diego Asian Film Festival.
His feature-length debut was S Diary, starring Kim Sun-a and Kim Soo-ro. This was followed by another feature film, Sad Movie, which tells the heartbreaking breakup stories of three couples who are in love but are forced to part ways. The film featured a star-studded cast including Jung Woo-sung, Im Soo-jung, Yum Jung-ah, Yeo Jin-goo, Cha Tae-hyun, Shin Min-a, and Lee Ki-woo.
In 2009, Kwon joined "Short! Short! Short!", a Korean short film production project that started in 2007. To celebrate its 10th anniversary, the Jeonju International Film Festival released an omnibus digital feature film comprising 10 short films, with the theme of "money,":each around 10 minutes in length. Titled Show Me the Money. Kwon's short film is called "Coin Boy."
In 2015, he returned with Proof of Innocence as both director and screenwriter. Originally titled Letter from Prison'', the film featured a cast of seasoned actors such as Kim Myung-min, Kim Young-ae, Sung Dong-il, and Kim Sang-ho, along with Park Hyuk-kwon, Shin Goo, Lee Moon-sik, and Kim Roi-ha, known as the "Avengers of the Middle-Aged".