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| Actor-director Lee Jung-jae / Courtesy of Artist Company |
By Kwak Yeon-soo
Lee Jung-jae, the star of Netflix's global hit series "Squid Game," was named Best New Filmmaker at 2022 Hawaii Film Critics Society Awards for his feature directorial debut "Hunt."
Set in the turbulent 1980s, the action-packed film centers on two rival agents, Park Pyong-ho (Lee) and Kim Jung-do (Jung Woo-sung), who are tasked with uncovering a North Korean spy inside the Korean Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA). They investigate each other in the process of discovering a larger plot to assassinate the president.
The film premiered at the non-competition Midnight Screening section of the 75th Cannes Film Festival. It was a commercial success and garnered critical acclaim, surpassing 4 million in ticket sales here and earning Lee best new filmmaker prizes at multiple awards including the Blue Dragon Film Awards in November.
Last year, he was selected as the recipient of the Geumgwan Order of Cultural Merit for being the first Korean actor to win awards for best actor in a drama series at the 27th Critics Choice Award and 74th Primetime Emmy Awards. Earlier this month, he received the Korea Image Stepping Stone Award from Corea Image Communication Institute.
Up next, Lee will be starring in the Disney+ series "The Acolyte," part of the Star Wars franchise.
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