Jang Joon-hwan

George for Best Director at the 25th Moscow International Film Festival.

• Name — Jang Joon-hwan • Native Name — 장준환 • Born — 18 January 1970 • Birthplace — Jeonju, South Korea • Occupation — Film director, screenwriter • Education — Sungkyunkwan University • Years Active — 1994–present • Children — 1 Jang Joon-hwan (born January 18, 1970) is a South Korean film director. He is known for his science fiction film Save the Green Planet! (2003), earning him Best Director at the 4th Busan Film Critics Awards, and the Special Silver St. George for Best Director at the 25th Moscow International Film Festival.

Jang enrolled at Sungkyunkwan University as an English literature major after failing to gain admission to the physics department. He described his major as profound but difficult to grasp. During his senior year of college, Jang experienced a period of intense frustration and sought an outlet by joining a university film club. This experience fostered a meaningful interest in the medium, leading him to enroll in the Korean Academy of Film Arts in 1994, where he began his formal relationship with filmmaking. Jang's first directing job was on the 1994 short film 2001 Imagine. It was his graduation project, completed as part of the Korean Academy of Film Arts' one-year curriculum, originated from a single, persistent image: a man delusional enough to believe he is a giant confessing this to his mother. By incorporating themes involving John Lennon and Yoko Ono, he developed this concept into a short film that garnered critical acclaim at the Clermont-Ferrand, San Francisco, and Vancouver Film Festivals.

After graduating in 1995, Jang spent two years as a teaching assistant at the academy. While the role provided a modest salary, he eventually found the work stagnant. During this period, he served as a cinematographer for Ryoo Seung-wan's short film Transmutated Head (1996). His creative focus during this time shifted toward Fart Man, an ambitious script about a man whose flatulence grants him destructive superpowers. Although it became his primary candidate for a debut feature, the project was ultimately shelved due to its requirement for a massive production scale. In 1997, after concluding his role as a teaching assistant, Jang transitioned into the professional film industry after being recruited by Bong Joon-ho to join the production team for Park Ki-yong's Motel Cactus. This experience was pivotal for Jang, allowing him to establish professional networks. Several individuals he collaborated with on Motel Cactus would later become key creative partners for his debut feature, Save the Green Planet!: producer Cha Seung-jae (then CEO of Uno Film), cinematographer Hong Kyung-pyo, and assistant director Kim Jong-hoon.

In May 2020, Jang was set to direct an English-language remake of his film Save the Green Planet!, with Will Tracy adapting the screenplay. However, Jang later stepped down as director due to health problems, although he remained an executive producer on the project. By February 2024, it was revealed that Yorgos Lanthimos would replace Jang as director. By October 2024, the film was retitled Bugonia, prior to being scheduled for a limited release in the United States on October 24, 2025, before a wide release on October 31.

Jang married actress Moon So-ri on December 24, 2006.

Film credits of Jang • Year — Title — Role — Notes — Ref. Reference(s) • English — Korean • 1994 — Incoherence (film) — 지리멸렬 — Lighting — Short film • 2001 Imagine — 2001 이매진 — Director, Screenplay, Cast — Short film • Sounds from Heaven and Earth — 하늘소리 땅소리 — Cinematography — Short film • The Love of a Grape Seed — 포도 씨앗의 사랑 — Cinematography — Short film • 1996 — Boong-boong — Cinematography — Short film • Transmutated Head — 변질헤드 — Cinematography — Short film • 1997 — Motel Cactus — 모텔 선인장 — Assistant Director • 1999 — Phantom: the Submarine — 유령 — Screenplay • 2003 — Save the Green Planet! — 지구를 지켜라! — Director, Screenplay • 2004 — Hair — 털 — Director, Screenplay — Short film • 2006 — Two or Three Things I Know about Kim Ki-young — 감독들, 김기영을 말하다 — Cast — Documentary • 2010 — Love for Sale (segment from Camellia) — 카멜리아 — Director — Omnibus film • 2012 — Waiting for Jang Joon-hwan — 장준환을 기다리며 — Cameo — Short film • 2013 — Hwayi: A Monster Boy — 화이 — Director • 2017 — 1987: When the Day Comes — 1987 — Director • The Running Actress — 여배우는 오늘도 — Actor • 2025 — Bugonia — Executive producer