Hwang Dong-hyuk - August 17, 1971

Hwang Dong-hyuk is a South Korean director, producer and screen writer. Hwang Dong-hyuk is best known for directing 2011 crime drama film Silenced also known as “The Crucible” and for creating 2021 drama series Squid Game with Netflix. Time named him one of the 100 influential people in the world in 2022.

Born on August 17, 1971 in Busan, South Korea, he did his graduation from Seoul National University in communications. After moving to Los Angeles for a M.F.A in Film Production at the University of Southern California, He made two short films “Heaven & Hell” and “Desperation”. His graduation thesis film Miracle Mile, a short film, screened at over 40 international film festival and won numerous awards including the DGA student award and student Emmys award.

Hwang’s second movie became one of the biggest sensation on Korean Cinema in 2011. Silenced also known as “The Crucible” is based on a novel by Gong Ji-young and starring Gong Yoo and Jung Yu-mi. The movie depicts real life events at the Gwangju Inhwa School for the deaf where young students were subjected to cruel treatment and sexual abuse by the teachers and Administration.

The issues portrayed in the movie — sexual violence against children, corrupt ties between police and influential families, negligence of duty by civil servants — is not fictitious, but can be seen regularly on the daily news. The movie hit a massive audience of about 4.7 million viewers in Korea. it received critical acclaim and subsequently raised awareness about the real life events which inspired it.

Hwang Dong-hyuk conceived the idea of Squid Game back in 2008 following his own economic struggles early in life and presence of class disparity in South Korea. The series introduced Hwang on the international frame and become the most watched series launch in Netflix’s history. Hwang also won an Emmys Award for outstanding directing for the Drama series in 2022. Now, Netflix has brought Squid Game in real life, Squid Game: The Challenge and will stream on Netflix from November 22, 2023.