The Desperate Chase

Like You Know It All

May 2009 •Korean

A South Korean art house film director is first invited to serve on the panel of a film festival, then to guest lecture at a film school.

Detour

August 2016 •Korean

Three friends from college are now on the brink of turning 40. To attend a funeral on Jeju Island, they go on an unexpected trip as a getaway and wind up at a guest house, where water shimmers, wind blows, and pretty women are seductive, inviting the trio back to their 20s.

Architecture 101

March 2012 •Korean

When Seung-min was on his first year at the Academy of Architecture, he met Seo-yeon. She was a musician student, and Seung-min totally fell in love with her. Years have passed, and now he meets Seo-yeon again - she asks him to rebuild her father's old house.

Outrage Coda

October 2017 •Japanese

Five years after the all-out war between the Sanno and Hanabishi crime families, former yakuza boss Otomo works in South Korea for Mr. Chang, a noted fixer. When tensions rise between Chang and the Hanabishi, and Chang's life is endangered, Otomo returns to Japan to settle things once and for all.

Night in Paradise

September 2020 •Korean

An assassin named Tae-goo is offered a chance to switch sides with his rival Bukseong gang, headed by Chairman Doh. Tae-goo rejects the offer that results in the murder of his sister and niece. In revenge, Tae-goo brutally kills Chairman Doh and his men and flees to Jeju Island where he meets Jae-yeon, a terminally ill woman. Though, the henchman of the Bukseong gang, Executive Ma is mercilessly hunting Tae-goo to take revenge.

My Heart Puppy

March 2023 •Korean

Min-soo is about to get married when his fiancée suddenly admits that she is allergic to dogs. Now the guy's best friend, the golden retriever Rooney, needs a new family. With the help of his cousin and social media, Min-soo starts looking for a new home for Rooney.

The Uprising

June 1999 •Korean

In the late 19th century Catholicism was gaining a foothold on Jeju island, much to the horror of the Confucian community, who were seeing their influence diminishing as well as getting increased taxes from Catholic-friendly government officers. The conflict became a religious war that resulted in a rebel Confucian army massacring hundreds of Christians in little more than a matter of days. The Uprising details the events leading up to the assault, focusing on the story of Yi Jae-su, the young man destined to become the leader of the rebel army.

Mermaid Unlimited

November 2018 •Korean

Yeong-joo, a former synchronized swimming athlete goes to Jeju Island to put together a synchronized swimming team for a performance. She slowly befriends the haenyeo, or female divers, and gradually begins to fit into their way of life.

The Wanderers

June 2023 •Korean

Weeds

Invalid date •Korean

Ppong ddol

August 2011 •Korean

Seong-pil, an actor, is traveling through Jeju Island when he sees an ad looking for actors. He follows the ad that leads him to Pong-ddol. The film captures their sincerity without losing the humor. What does film and life mean to you?

The Last of the Sea Women

September 2024 •English

On the shores of Jeju Island, a fierce group of South Korean divers fight to save their vanishing culture from looming threats.

Jeju Prayer

April 2013 •Korean

Focusing on Mrs. Kang Sang-hee’s life, she lost her husband in the Jeju Uprising (March 3rd, 1948). The film views the dark-side of Jeju Island, a huge grave, which is completely opposite of the other side of the island, the famous tourist attraction. It says that the tragedy has been going on about the recent Gang-jeong village situation.

The Cave

October 2022 •Korean

Min-hee, who faces many changes after losing her husband. After her husband's sudden death, Min-hee visits Jeju Island, where her husband had always yearned and experiences a whirlwind of emotions. Mok-ha, a single mom living in Jeju Island, becomes a neighbor to Min-hee who comes down from Seoul and causes various emotional changes.

Time to Be Strong

December 2024 •Korean

Three retired K-pop idols take a trip to Jeju Island. After failed careers and missed school trips, they finally have the time to go on a trip on their own. On their first day on the island, things start to go awry.

In Water

April 2023 •Korean

A director, a cinematographer, and an actress spend the days leading up to a movie shoot together on-location, waiting for the director to come up with an idea for what the film will be about.

A Living Being

January 2018 •Korean

Old man, Moon-ho, spends his time masturbating because of Alzheimer. Yoon-jeong works as caretaker for Moon-ho. One day, Yoon-jeong finds Moon-ho completely recovered from dementia…

The Poet and the Boy

September 2017 •Korean

Trapped in routine, a Jeju poet finds himself drawn to a boy—and to emotions he’s never dared name.

Sumbisori

May 2025 •Korean

Hae-jin, 29, struggles to adapt to life in Seoul and returns to her hometown of Jeju. There, she reunites with her mother, Ok-ran, and her grandmother, Kang-ja, who has spent her life as a haenyeo. Hae-jin decides to become a haenyeo, but Ok-ran strongly opposes it. The conflict between them intensifies, while Kang-ja is diagnosed with dementia.

Diving Women of Jeju-do

January 2007 •Korean

Jeju-do is the largest of Korean islands and lies between Korea and Japan. There, for hundreds of years, women dive without breathing apparatus, to the ocean floor and collect shellfish, octopus, and urchins that they sell. The divers are in their sixties and seventies and their daughters do not want to inherit their work, lifestyle, and health problems that go with diving. As a filmmaker I was privileged to meet many of these women and dive with them. Their stories of hardship and pride confirmed my desire to record this unique and ancient tradition.