Ku Hye-sun (Profile, Facts, and Her Novel)

Ku Hye-sun as a Director

This actress has a multitude of talents. She is known for having directed several short movies which have been featured in many films festivals. Ku made her official debut as a director through her short film The Madonna, in 2009. The film which was centered around the topic of assisted suicide, and debuted at the 2009 Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival.

The film was featured in several other film events, including the Asiana International Short Film Festival and the Pusan Asian Short Film Festival, where it won the “Audience Award” category. The Madonna also won the “Spotlight Award” at the 12th Short Shorts Film Festival, which was held in Tokyo from June 10 through 20, 2010. She shared why she decided to make the film, saying “It’s not like I dreamed of becoming a filmmaker since I was young. I’m interested in many things, including music, art and literature, and I thought I could incorporate all those things by making a film.”

In 2011, Ku established her own company, Ku Hye-sun Film, under which she would produce and film her projects. Her second directorial feature, The Peach Tree, was the first film made under her newly-established production company. She also wrote the theme song and novel version of the film. On October 25, 2012, she was awarded the Minister Commendation at the 14th Annual Republic of Korea Design Award for The Peach Tree.

In 2013, Ku directed a short film for Samsung Galaxy S4, as part of the project “Story of Me and S4“. The same year, she served as part of the jury for the 9th Jecheon International Music and Film Festival.

In 2014, Ku released her fifth directed film, Daughter. Not only did she take part in producing, writing, and directing of the movie, she also played the main character as a mother who gives her daughter an oppressive corporal punishment. The film aims to address and make known to society the problems of child abuse. Daughter was invited to Busan International Film Festival.

On July 14, 2018, Ku Hye Sun attended the 22nd Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN) and held a special V Live broadcast to talk about her career.

Talking about the fact that other actors and staff members have happily agreed to work on her films in the past, Ku Hye Sun said, “I try to film movies quickly, so I think they react favorably the next time I do a project. I don’t know if I’ll continue directing in the future, but I think I’ll continue to be indebted to them.”

She also shared the differences between her working styles when it comes to acting and directing. “I’m somewhat sensitive while acting, but when I’m directing, I do it like I’m one of the nicest people in the world,” she said. “When I was an actress on set, I developed a manual for the kind of director I didn’t want to become. So I direct while thinking to myself, ‘An actor is a person, not an object.’”

Ku Hye Sun also mentioned that she hoped the public would take her more seriously as a director, explaining, “For now, I still lack credibility as a film director, and I’m facing difficulty because of repeated failures. I have the ambition of wanting to meet many moviegoers [through my work].”

When asked whether she’d spend a lot of money on casting if she had access to a big budget, she replied, “Instead of [spending more money on] actors, I think I’d pay more attention to equipment, filming beautiful landscapes, and the staff’s wages.”

As an Ambassador

In recognition of her versatility and talents, Ku was voted as the Best Female Artist in the Entertainment Industry in 2012. She also received the Korea Fulfillment Award, and the Ministry Award for “sharing happiness” for her charitable acts. What a generous heart!

From August 17-31, 2013, she held exhibition entitled “Anything That Leaves Yearning Is All Beautiful”. The same year, Ku attended the Hong Kong Contemporary Art Fair. The illustration poster of her cat, ‘Mango’, was sold at this exhibition, and the profit was donated the charitable organization ‘Community Chest Hong Kong’. Ku was also appointed as the 2013 Cheongju International Craft Biennale (CICB) ambassador, as well as the ambassador for ArtisTree, an organization to encourage arts.