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Whistle Blower (film)

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Whistle Blower
Theatrical poster
Directed byYim Soon-rye
Written byLee Chun-hyeong
Produced byLee Choon-yeon
Nam Jung-il
StarringPark Hae-il
Yoo Yeon-seok
Lee Geung-young
Edited byKim Sun-min
Music byLee Jun-oh
Production
company
Watermelon Pictures
Distributed byMegabox Plus M
M-Line Distribution
Release date
  • October 2, 2014 (2014-10-02)
Running time
114 minutes
CountrySouth Korea
LanguageKorean

Whistle Blower (Korean: 제보자; RR: Jeboja) is a 2014 South Korean film directed by Yim Soon-rye.[1][2][3][4]

Though fictionalized, the film is based on real-life scientist Hwang Woo-suk, who was at the center of one of the largest investigations of scientific fraud in recent memory.[5][6] Hwang, then a professor of biotechnology at Seoul National University (SNU), gained international renown in 2004 after claiming that he had successfully carried out experiments cloning human embryonic stem cells. In 2005, an anonymous tip from whistleblower Ryu Young-joon, a former researcher at Hwang's lab, led to MBC program PD Notebook uncovering Hwang's ethical violations and fabricated data, which was confirmed by an SNU investigative panel in 2006.[7][8] Hwang's research was discredited and in 2009, a South Korean court convicted him of embezzlement and bioethical violations.[9][10][11]

Plot

TV news producer Yoon Min-cheol is desperate for a scoop for his investigative journalism program PD Chase. One day, he receives a tip that The Newman Medical, the biggest sterility clinic in Korea, buys ova illegally. But while investigating, he is shocked to discover that scientist Lee Jang-hwan seems to be involved in the case. Lee had gained widespread acclaim and press attention following his groundbreaking experiments cloning human embryonic stem cells, and is considered a national hero whose research may mean the cure to several illnesses. As Yoon hesitates whether to pursue such a revered and powerful figure, he gets an anonymous call from Shim Min-ho, a young scientist who works for Lee's lab. Shim claims that Lee's stem cell research has largely been fabricated and unethical, and the two join forces to expose Lee's scientific fraud and bring the truth to the public, despite its disbelieving and harsh reaction.

Cast

Box office

Upon its release on October 2, 2014, Whistle Blower topped the box office on its three-day opening weekend, with 563,539 admissions and a gross of ₩4.5 billion (US$4.2 million).[13][14] It dropped to third place on its second and third weeks, earning ₩12.1 billion (US$11.3 million) from 1.7 million admissions.[15][16]

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Recipient Result
2014
34th Korean Association of Film Critics Awards[17]
Critics' Top 10 Whistle Blower Won
51st Grand Bell Awards[18]
Best Film Whistle Blower Nominated
Best Director Yim Soon-rye Nominated
Best Actor Park Hae-il Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Lee Geung-young Nominated
Best Editing Kim Sun-min Nominated
35th Blue Dragon Film Awards
Best Film Whistle Blower Nominated
Best Director Yim Soon-rye Nominated
Best Actor Park Hae-il Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Lee Geung-young Nominated
2015
20th Chunsa Film Art Awards[19]
Best Screenplay Lee Chun-hyeong Nominated
51st Baeksang Arts Awards
Best Supporting Actor Lee Geung-young Nominated
Best Screenplay Lee Chun-hyeong Nominated

References

  1. ^ Conran, Pierce (17 December 2013). "PARK Hae-il Cast in New YIM Soon-rye Film". Korean Film Biz Zone. Retrieved 2014-10-05.
  2. ^ Jin, Eun-soo (26 September 2014). "Stem cell scandal movie casts doubts on integrity of press". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2014-10-05.
  3. ^ Conran, Pierce (29 September 2014). "In Focus: Whistle Blower". Korean Film Biz Zone. Retrieved 2014-10-05.
  4. ^ Ahn, Sung-mi (28 September 2014). "Herald Review: Exploring blurred line between truth and national interest". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 2014-10-05.
  5. ^ "Specials: Woo Suk Hwang". Nature. Retrieved 2014-10-05.
  6. ^ "Special Online Collection: Hwang et al. Controversy -- Committee Report, Response, and Background". Science. Retrieved 2014-10-05.
  7. ^ "Clone Scientist Relied on Peers and Korean Pride". The New York Times. 25 December 2005. Retrieved 2014-10-05.
  8. ^ Cyranoski, David (11 January 2006). "Rise and fall". Nature. Retrieved 2014-10-05.
  9. ^ Park, Si-soo (26 October 2009). "Hwang Convicted of Embezzlement, Cleared of Fraud". The Korea Times. Retrieved 2014-10-05.
  10. ^ Cyranoski, David (14 January 2014). "Cloning comeback". Nature. Retrieved 2014-10-05.
  11. ^ Cyranoski, David (28 January 2014). "Whistle-blower breaks his silence". Nature. Retrieved 2014-10-05.
  12. ^ Lee, Ji-hye (10 November 2014). "Actor YOO Yeon-seok of WHISTLE BLOWER: A Hard Worker on the Run". Korean Cinema Today. Retrieved 2015-01-04.
  13. ^ Lee, Ji-young (7 October 2014). "Whistle Blower Trumps Slow Video by Narrow Margin". Korean Film Biz Zone. Retrieved 2014-10-09.
  14. ^ Jin, Eun-soo (7 October 2014). "Whistle Blower blasts to No. 1 spot at box office". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2014-10-09.
  15. ^ Ma, Kevin (20 October 2014). "Bride remake tops quiet weekend in South Korea". Film Business Asia. Retrieved 2014-10-20.
  16. ^ Conran, Pierce (3 November 2014). "Box Office Monthly Report: October 2014". Korean Film Biz Zone. Retrieved 2014-11-07.
  17. ^ Conran, Pierce (4 November 2014). "Top Honors for HILL OF FREEDOM at 34th Korean Film Critics Association Awards". Korean Film Biz Zone. Retrieved 2014-11-12.
  18. ^ Kim, June (12 November 2014). "The 51st Daejong Film Awards Nominations Announced". Korean Film Biz Zone. Retrieved 2014-11-12.
  19. ^ Ma, Kevin (9 March 2015). "Hard Day leads Chunsa Film Art nominations". Film Business Asia. Retrieved 2015-03-19.
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