(Korean Movies) The Whistleblower, 2014

This film is inspired by real events, but it is revealed that it is fictionalized cinematically.

under the name of social order or national interest
Telling lies and ignoring the truth
It is pervasive in our society.
how important it is to tell the truth
How important is the media to protect that value?
I directed the movie with the hope that it would be ventilated again.

This movie depends on where you put your focus.
It can be interpreted in many different ways.
But what I want to focus on is
It was a relentless struggle by a journalist to uncover the freedom of the press and the truth of our society.

Also, this movie is to prevent lies from winning.
It is a tribute to those who sacrifice and strive in various ways.

What kind of story did the filmmakers really want to tell?
I hope you can empathize with it.

-Director Im Soon-rye-

[ Hot Issue ]

Park Hae-il, Yoo Yeon-seok, and Lee Kyung-young!
An overwhelming and intense acting ensemble of Korea's representative actors!
Actor Park Hae-il, who goes back and forth in various genres such as melodrama, drama, and action, is not afraid to change in any role and plays it in his own style. He once again comes to the audience with his powerful acting. Transformed into 'Yoon Min-cheol', a PD of a current affairs program, who faces a huge truth that will shake the Republic of Korea due to a single tip-off phone call. Park Hae-il shows a differentiated charm with a strong determination to uncover the truth without backing down from any external pressure and detailed emotional acting that digs into the inside. In particular, Park Hae-il said, "After debuting with director Im Soon-rye's <Waikiki Brothers>, the fact that they worked together for the first time in 14 years stimulated expectations and curiosity, and that part eventually made me choose this movie." And it heralded the birth of another masterpiece that the actor will create.
Yoo Yeon-seok, a promising actor from Chungmuro, who has been receiving love calls for numerous works, breaks down as the research team leader 'Sim Min-ho', who can't give up his conscience and makes a shocking report about thesis manipulation and unethical research process. . Yoo Yeon-seok, who has always admired Park Hae-il as a role model, said, "I decided to appear in <Informant> at once because I could work with Park Hae-il." For Yoo Yeon-seok, who is gradually building up his own filmography as an actor, the role of 'Sim Min-ho' in <Informant> will be a meaningful challenge that will reveal his other potential.
Here, Lee Kyung-young, who is called the busiest actor in Chungmuro and stands in the ranks of national actors, takes on the role of Dr. Jang-hwan Lee, who is at the center of the stem cell manipulation scandal that drew attention around the world. add weight Lee Kyung-young, who was cast with the absolute trust of director Im Soon-rye, said, "I did not transfer the character of the case that became the motif to me as it is, I simply left me blank and made a new character according to the director's direction." The explosive synergy created was expected.
Park Hae-il, Yoo Yeon-seok, and Lee Kyung-young, who inspire great anticipation and trust in the movie just by meeting themselves. The overwhelming acting ensemble of the three actors will captivate the audience with a unique observation point unique to the movie <Informant>.

The music of <The Terror Live>, the editing of <Monster>, the lighting of <Myeongryang>!
The best dream team in Chungmuro has united!
<The Informant>, a truth-seeking drama that uncovers the reality of the stem cell manipulation scandal that shook the Republic of Korea, is the work of the best veteran staff in Chungmuro. Director Im Soon-rye, who grabbed the megaphone, is the representative director of Chungmuro, who maximizes immersion in the film with his soft but powerful directing power. In this work, director Im Soon-rye densely depicts the events that take place in pursuit of the truth and the emotions of the characters surrounding it, while also capturing the tension that grips the hand with his delicate directing skills and humanity that moves the heart. Lighting director Kim Kyung-seok of <Going to the End> and <Myeongryang> participated in creating a sophisticated mise-en-scène that projects the psychological state of the characters as well as the reality of the movie. It adds a strong suction power to the movie <Informant> with a strong rhythmic song that stimulates the mind and fast beat. In addition, the sensuous and speedy editing, focusing on the dramas of Kim Seon-min, editor of <The Chaser> and <The Monster>, infuses the drama with speed and tension, satisfying the five senses.

The movie <The Informant>, in which veteran staff members of Chungmuro united and showed their best skills, foretells the birth of another well-made movie by combining the overwhelming mise-en-scène, lively video, and music that captures the psychology of the characters.

Full of tension, realistic characters!
A dense drama based on real events!
The movie <Informant> is a work created by borrowing the motif of the stem cell incident that shook the Republic of Korea and adding cinematic imagination. Through the confrontation and conflict between real and lively characters such as PD Yoon Min-cheol, who sets out to find the truth in a situation where there is no evidence, Shim Min-ho, a researcher who courageously reported the truth about fake stem cells, and Dr. Lee Jang-hwan, who tries to hide the truth for a purpose. The film provides a sense of tension and excitement. Here, the story based on real events further increases the density of the play, stimulates the audience's curiosity about what is true and what is false, and raises expectations for the movie.

The greatest story fun that <Informant> offers is the process in which PD Yoon Min-cheol pursues the truth only with the informant's testimony in a situation where there is no evidence. Audiences who watch this will be assimilated into Min-cheol Yoon's psychological state in the movie, and will fully experience the frustration and resentment experienced while chasing the truth, conflicts and beliefs toward the informant. The story of <The Informant>, which has such a strong suction power, leads to the curiosity of how PD Yoon Min-cheol, who is in a situation of being unable to broadcast amid strong backlash from the media and public opinion, and political external pressure, will get through it. do. With a story based on a true story and a solid composition, the movie <Informant>, which delivers a heavy resonance with cinematic fun, will heat up theaters this fall.

Should the truth not everyone want be hidden?
A poignant cry to Korea!
The movie <Informant> reveals the other side of our society through the subject of a stem cell manipulation scandal. The media has lost its fairness by only sending out articles and broadcasts that are biased toward one side rather than the ‘fact’, being swayed by the data and lobbying from the Stem Cell Lab’s public relations team; The public who denies those who pursue them as witch hunts. <The Informant> shows how difficult it is to uncover the truth that can be easily buried by public opinion, the media, and power. And it delivers a meaningful message about the power and value of the truth that is eventually revealed in any external pressure or adversity.

Also, ‘Does the national interest come first? Does the truth come first? As the line in the movie says, it makes you ponder which is more valuable between 'a lie you want to believe' and 'the truth you want to hide'. <The Informant>, a film about a poignant cry thrown at Korea, which easily ignores the truth because of the gains in front of it, will captivate the audience with its cinematic fun and powerful message.

[ Production Note ]

Trusted and watched actors united with trust!
<Informant> Casting Behind the Scenes!
The movie <The Informant> is a special case of the film that was cast based on trust and faith in director Im Soon-rye, and the fans' feelings among the actors. As soon as the scenario was completed, director Im Soon-rye thought of Park Hae-il as Yoon Min-cheol, a current affairs program producer. And as if reading the thoughts of director Im Soon-rye, Park Hae-il, who accepted the casting at once, said, "It is director Im Soon-rye who made me think that I must do this work. “After working with my debut film <Waikiki Brothers>, it has been 14 years since I received a screenplay from the director. I was so happy that I said that I would do it unconditionally without even reading the script. It was because I had faith and trust in the director,” he said, revealing the opportunity to participate in the film with infinite trust in director Im Soon-rye. It wasn't just persecution. Ryu Hyeon-kyung as Kim Mi-hyeon, the wife of Shim Min-ho and a member of Dr. Lee Jang-hwan's research team, and Park Won-sang as Lee Seong-ho, a senior who believes in Yoon Min-cheol and head of the current affairs culture department, also joined the work without hesitation in responding to director Im Soon-rye's love call. Also, despite a busy schedule, Lee Kyung-young, who plays Dr. Jang-hwan Lee at the heart of the stem cell scandal, actively responded to the casting by recalling the relationship he met as a staff member and actor in the movie <Out of the World> 20 years ago. “Director Lim thought that even if he made a social film, there would be warmth in it. That's why I have high expectations for director Lim and the films she makes."
On the other hand, director Im Soon-rye, who had a lot of worries about the role of Shim Min-ho, the team leader of Dr. Lee Jang-hwan's research institute, said, "I needed an actor who could withstand the weight of Park Hae-il and Lee Kyung-young." Yoo Yeon-seok, who received the casting offer after beating numerous actors, put his trust in Im Soon-rye and said, “I was very worried about what kind of work I should do after [Reply 1994]. I wanted to play a character that was different in many parts from back then.” He also said, “I am a longtime fan of Park Hae-il. I was thrilled and happy when I decided to appear on the set, talked with him on set, made eye contact, and acted.” In this way, the intense acting breath provided by the best actors in Korea, who are united with their passionate affection and solid trust for Director Im Soon-rye, will enhance the perfection of <Informant> and overwhelm the audience's gaze.

I didn't miss a single one!
Thorough verification for reality!
The production process of the movie <Informant>, based on a real incident that shook the Republic of Korea 10 years ago, was difficult and difficult. Director Im Soon-rye, who expressed his belief in his directing point, said, “<Informant> is a work that focuses on freedom of the press, a journalist’s relentless struggle to uncover the truth of our society, and the stories of those who support and support it.” In order to protect them, we conducted interviews with real people involved in the stem cell incident. In addition, as it was based on an actual incident that had many sensitive issues, it was hard to say even a single technical term in vain. From the pre-production stage, director Im Soon-rye and all the staff became students and took classes related to biotechnology, dig into specialized materials, familiarize themselves with difficult academic terms, and even created a new term called patient-tailored stem cells to help the audience understand. .
The art work of <Informant>, which required verification of not only technical terms, but also trivial props and even a single cell photo, was more demanding and difficult than other existing films. The photos of somatic cells in the papers appearing in the movie could not be produced arbitrarily, so data owned by Ulsan University of Science and Technology was used with permission. Not only this, but most of the props used in the movie are the results obtained after persistent persuasion by visiting experts in the actual field. There was constant thought and skepticism not only about the props but also the mise-en-scène of the film as a whole. Creative Director Hong Joo-hee said, “I thought a lot about how to artfully unfold the space of the actual event. Rather than creating a cinematic reality by aesthetically unfolding the space, we tried to express the space realistically, thinking that it would be good to feel that we were immersed in an event that actually happened.” showed that it was tilted.
The actors also prepared everything, such as listening to lectures and reading medical books, in order to use the terms in the lines naturally before filming began. Hae-il Park, who played the role of Min-cheol Yoon, a current affairs program producer, said, "I was curious about the tone of the character of the broadcast station PD, so I met the actual broadcast station PD, went to the interview site and watched the sequence of processes that the PD had to do. I wanted to create a more realistic movie character,” he said, revealing his efforts to build a realistic and detailed character. Yoo Yeon-seok, who played the role of Shim Min-ho, the head of the stem cell research team in the play, confessed that he needed a lot of study before filming, saying, “Through lectures and books, I studied the medical field of stem cells and the actual events.” Park Hae-il and Yoo Yeon-seok, who perfectly and three-dimensionally expressed the characters with such effort and passion. Through <Informant>, the two actors are expected to show strong acting synergy and fantastic breathing.

Exciting video and electronic sound!
Director Im Soon-rye returns with a different directing style!
Directed by Im Soon-rye, who delivered a sharp message in a soft way. <The Informant> is expected to captivate the eyes and ears of the audience by adding a different directing style to director Im Soon-rye's unique method. Director Lim Soon-rye, who was concerned about the event that became the motif and the part where the film's theme might feel heavy, gave the audience a sense of speed and urgency in the process and development of the story so that the audience could feel the fun of the film. Director Im Soon-rye said, “It was important to maintain dramatic tension in the part that was shown. While writing the story and filming, I kept thinking about that part. I used a lot of camera movement and diversified cuts and angles than in other previous works.” Her directing method provides the best sense of immersion with a dynamic development in which the audience arrives at the core message of the film as they follow the suspenseful interview process.
In addition to video, director Im Soon-rye's unique challenge also applies to music. Director Lim Soon-rye, who wanted to make <The Informant> into a younger and faster movie, worked with music director Lee Jun-oh of <The Terror Live> and tried a new electronic sound that was completely different from the music he had previously pursued. Music director Lee Jun-oh, who joined the project as a fan of director Im Soon-rye, said that he was worried about whether his music would fit well with <The Informant> because he knew her existing style of work. However, director Im Soon-rye's new direction and his music matched exquisitely and created the best ensemble. Music director Lee Jun-oh said, "Because <Informant> was structured to lead the story through numerous dialogues of the characters, I thought that music that could increase the tension of the story between those conversations would go well together. We have completed music that harmonizes electronic musical sound and emotional rhythmic melodies,” he said. Director Im Soon-rye's love for films, who is not afraid of changes and challenges and constantly seeks new ways, has completed <The Informant> into a film full of tension that you cannot take your eyes off of.