Kwak Sin-ae (; born 23 October 1968) is a South Korean film producer who is the CEO of the Seoul-based Barunson Entertainment & Arts Corporation (Barunson E&A), best known as a producer of the 2019 film Parasite. She and Bong Joon-ho won the Academy Award for Best Picture at the 92nd Academy Awards for Parasite, which also received the award for Best Feature Film at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards, and was nominated for Best Film at the 73rd British Academy Film Awards.
Career Kwak graduated from Dong-A University with a degree in Korean Language and Literature. She began her career at a publishing agency before moving to a drama production company. Upon the recommendation of film critic Jung Sung-il, the editor-in-chief of Kino magazine, she joined Kino as a reporter in 1994, where she worked for about three years. Following her time at Kino, she served as the CEO of the film publicity agency 'Barun Life', the planning and marketing director at Youth Film, and LJ Film. She later worked as the director of planning and marketing at Shin Cine.
The reason Kwak decided to become a producer was unexpected. She was seeking stability in her life due to having a child and needed a regular job. This led her to join Barunson, a film company that offered a salary. In 2010, Kwak joined Barunson Corporation as the head of the film business division.
She later became the CEO of Barunson Film Corporation and has been the CEO of Barunson E&A Corporation since 2015. During her tenure as CEO, she oversaw the production of 'Hidden Time' starring Kang Dong-won (2016) and the critically acclaimed 'Parasite,' which marked her second film as a producer. Director Bong Joon-ho, who collaborated with Barunson E&A on 'Mother,' has shared a synopsis of a new film set to be released in Korea following his work on 'Snowpiercer' and 'Okja' overseas.
Kwak reached a career milestone when 'Parasite' won four awards, including the Academy Award for Best Picture. This historic achievement marked the first time in the 92-year history of the Academy Awards that an Asian female producer received the prestigious accolade.
Filmography Feature film + Feature film creditsYearTitleDirectorCredited as English Korean Marketing Producer Other Crew 1999 Happy End해피엔드Jung Ji-wooMarketing colspan="2" 2001 Wanee and Junah와니와 준하Kim Yong-gyunMarketing colspan="2" 2003 Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring봄 여름 가을 겨울 그리고 봄Kim Ki-dukMarketing colspan="2" 2004 The Scarlet Letter주홍글씨Byun HyukMarketing colspan="2" 2005 This Charming Girl여자, 정혜Lee Yoon-kiMarketing colspan="2" 2005 Love Talk러브토크Lee Yoon-kiMarketing Other crew 2005 The Peter Pan Formula피터팬의 공식Cho Chang-ho colspan="2" Other crew 2006 Romance로망스Moon Seung-wook colspan="2" Other crewA Bloody Aria구타유발자들Won Shin-yunMarketing colspan="2" Maundy Thursday우리들의 행복한 시간Song Hae-sungMarketing colspan="2" Host & Guest방문자Shin Dong-ilMarketing colspan="2" Midnight Ballad for Ghost Theater삼거리 극장Jeon Gye-sooMarketing colspan="2" 2008 Modern Boy 모던 보이Jung Ji-woo PD 2011 Couples커플즈Jeong Yong-ki Production Department 2012 5백만불의 사나이 Kim Yick-ro colspan="2" Other crew2016 Vanishing Time: A Boy Who Returned 가려진 시간 Um Tae-hwa 2017 RV: Resurrected Victims 희생부활자 Kwak Kyung-taek 2019 Parasite 기생충 Bong Joon-ho
Personal life She is the younger sister of Kwak Kyung-taek, a film director from Busan famous for film Friend. While working as a reporter for Kino, Kwak married film director Jung Ji-woo.
Accolades YearAward CeremonyCategoryRecipient(s)ResultRef. 2019 20th Women in Film Korea Awards Producer Award Parasite 2019Yves Montand Cinema Award Best Film 2019 Asia Pacific Screen AwardsBest Feature Film 201973rd British Academy Film AwardsBest Film 2019 92nd Academy AwardsAcademy Award for Best Picture Parasite
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