‘Alienoid’ Director Choi Dong-hoon Talks Korean Sci-fi, Cinema in the Streaming Era.
Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefStill only 50, Choi Dong-hoon has been a front-runner among Korean directors for at least the past 15 years, with hits under his belt including “The Thieves,” “Assassination” and “Tazza: The High Rollers.” Now he is driving the Korean industry’s exploration of sci-fi.Choi’s “Alienoid” recently played to U.S. audiences at the New York Asian Film Festival and will open in North American theaters from Aug. 26.The film is a genre-bending caper in which two gurus from the Koryo Dynasty search for a time-bending blade and unexpectedly cross paths with modern-day folk hunting down a dangerous alien hidden inside a human body.The result has plenty in common with “Jeon Woochi,” a period actioner that is another of Choi’s hits, but amped with richer visuals and cleverer VFX.