## Director Shin Seong-hoon, Acclaimed Filmmaker, Faced Industry Struggles Before Passing
Shin Seong-hoon, the 40-year-old director celebrated for his award-winning film *Thank You for Jjajangmyeon*, passed away in May. Prior to his disappearance and subsequent death, Director Shin openly discussed the meaningful financial and professional challenges faced by independent filmmakers in South Korea.
Director shin explained the precarious nature of a career in film, stating, “If you don’t make commercial films consistently, itS not easy to continue working as a director. Among short and independent film directors,there are probably many people who have a harder time than me. Everyone is just speechless. Until you start working in commercial films, you have to live like a war every day. If you don’t make films consistently, we can’t make a living.”
The financial strain became so acute that Director Shin recently took on a part-time job loading and unloading parcels. He described the physical toll, saying, “After working for a day, it wasn’t easy. It hurt like my whole body was broken.Every time I went to the bathroom, I got a ‘hyeonta’. When I returned home after work, I thought, ‘Isn’t it the path to becoming a director anymore?'”
Director Shin also spoke of a broader sense of disillusionment within the independent film community. He noted that many directors shared similar struggles, and expressed feelings of hurt and betrayal stemming from collaborative relationships. “It’s just that not everyone is good at sharing deep stories, and the directors I frequently enough communicated wiht also have a hard time. We all have the same concerns in the same surroundings…There are times when delivery is not possible. That’s why people leave repeatedly, and it seems like a lot of emotions have come and gone over the past few days,” he shared.Director Shin began his entertainment career as a singer in 2002, later taking on minor acting roles. He achieved critical acclaim with *Thank You for jjajangmyeon* in 2022,winning both the Best Director and Best Picture awards at the 7th Hollywood Bluebird Film Festival.The film went on to receive a total of 81 awards from various film festivals. Actress Hyunyoung,who appeared in the film as a talent donation,won the Best Supporting Actress Award in the Short Film Category at the ‘3rd Louive Buñuel Memorial Awards’ at the French Film Festival. Director Shin praised Hyunyoung’s dedication, noting her “deep sincerity” and “deeper understanding of movies than expected,” recalling her resilience during challenging filming conditions.
His subsequent films, *Minors* (released last year) and *God’s Choice* (released in February), also garnered recognition and awards at international film festivals. Director Shin’s final project, *Minors 2*, is currently in post-production and was originally slated for release in the second half of this year.
[Image of Director Shin Seong-hoon from Light Culture House] /Photo = Light Culture House
