Listen "Film Director Choi Jongyong"
Episode Synopsis
Choi Jong-ryong is a film director and screenwriter. His feature debut The Melody of Suyeon (Waterdrop) tells the story of children left alone in the world who struggle to protect themselves, and it drew attention by winning two awards at the 2023 Busan International Film Festival. Originally a literature major in creative writing, he spent years writing poetry before discovering filmmaking through an independent film collective. With his short film Journey (2019), he received production support and began his professional career. He later completed his first feature through extensive rehearsals and on-site work with child actors, in collaboration with cinematographer Kang Jong-su, capturing a sense of realism. His films challenge and invert the roles of parent and child, protector and protected, to ask what family truly means. At the heart of his work lies a desire for audiences to act as guardians for children on screen, while shining light on the unseen realities of those left in society’s blind spots. He is currently writing new feature scripts that expand his exploration of family stories, this time delving into the adult world through drama and thriller.
More episodes of the podcast Humans of Jeju
CEO of Magpie Brewing Company, Erik Moynihan
15/10/2025
Park Kyung-seon, Master Singer (Myeongchang)
08/10/2025
Photographer, Jinhee Yoo
24/09/2025
Ensemble “Mulbit”, Moon Hyojin & Rim Sinai
17/09/2025
Haenyeo Artist, Kyoungah Na
03/09/2025
Jeju YouTuber Jang Seongtae
27/08/2025
The Voice of Jeju, Kim Bo ram
20/08/2025
Youngsook Kim & Nils Clauss
13/08/2025