Hur Bum-wook was born in Seoul, South Korea, in 1983. After dreaming of becoming a poet or novelist during his school days, he came across short films from the NFB (National Film Board of Canada) at the age of 20, leading to his decision to become an animation director. However, it wasn’t until the age of 27 that he got into a formal education program.
With his self-made first short animation Ordinary Meals (2009), he was finally accepted to KAFA (Korean Academy of Film Arts) in 2010, officially starting him on his path to becoming an animation director. His second work, the student short City Of Good People (2011) was screened at Krok, Brooklyn, Indie-AniFest and other prominent domestic and international film festivals, followed the next year by his feature film debut with On the White Planet (2014), his graduation work at KAFA which took two years to complete. The feature was screened at countless festivals all over the world, such as Gijón, Fantasia, Fantoche, Neuchâtel and the Asia Pacific Screen Awards, among others, and won the Grand Prix at the Holland Animation Film Festival 2015. His third short animation Galapagos (2019) was screened at Tokyo Anime Awards, Neuchâtel, Viborg, Athens Animfest, Bucheon International Animation Festival and Seoul Independent Film Festival.
In 2024, he is back with his second feature film in 10 years. Pig That Survived Foot-and-Mouth Disease (2024), which had its world premiere at the Midnight Specials section of the Annecy International Animation Festival in June. He founded the production company HUR FILMS, and directed and produced the film.
The Asia Pacific Screen Academy expresses its respect for and acknowledgement of the South East Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. We pay our respects to the Traditional Owners of country, including the custodial communities on whose land works are created and celebrated by the Asia Pacific Screen Awards. We acknowledge the continuing connection to land, waters and communities. We also pay our respects to Elders, past and present. We recognise the integral role Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and First Nations peoples continue to play in storytelling and celebration spaces.
