Private Project

The Descendant

Bound by blood but divided by time, a Joseon king sees visions of his future descendant, one who will bring ruin to his legacy. Desperate to alter fate, he makes a choice that will seal his legacy forever.

A tale between the king of the Joseon Dynasty era and his descendant from modern day Korea collide in this tale of legacy, madness, and an unthinkable choice that will shape history.

A film made entirely by 1 actor and 1 filmmaker.

  • Sam Sungmin Lee
    Director
    One Minute in Hell, White Lies
  • Sam Sungmin Lee
    Writer
    One Minute in Hell, White Lies
  • Sam Sungmin Lee
    Producer
    Coffee Lover, White Lies
  • Sam Sungmin Lee
    Director of Photography
    White Lies
  • Daniel Kim
    Key Cast
    "The King, The Decendant"
    One Minute in Hell, White Lies
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    후손
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Period Drama, Psychological Thriller
  • Runtime:
    6 minutes 20 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    April 21, 2025
  • Country of Origin:
    Australia
  • Country of Filming:
    South Korea
  • Language:
    Korean
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    1.85:1
  • Film Color:
    Black & White and Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Sam Sungmin Lee

Lee’s Korean name is 이성민 (Sungmin Lee), but when he first moved to Australia, he used ‘Sam Lee’ for its simpler pronunciation. Later, as he pursued filmmaking, he reintroduced his Korean name, becoming ‘Sam Sungmin Lee’, to reflect his heritage through his name alone. Placing his English and Korean names side by side symbolises Lee's voice as a multicultural and bilingual filmmaker.

The Descendant was entirely written, directed, photographed, edited, sound designed, and mixed by Lee. This marks his first film shot in South Korea, with all of post-production completed in Australia.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

"I was visiting South Korea in December 2024 and just in case, packed a single camera, a tripod, and a mic. I wanted to make the most of my time in Korea, so I used just that gear to shoot 'The Descendant' with Daniel Kim, who played a large part in making this possible. The film was actually all shot within a single day in Seoul, including at Gyeongbok Palace (the king's palace), This was also during the snowing and freezing winter; Daniel and I were lucky to have made it out alive...

I achieved 3 of my filmmaking goals with this film:
1. Shooting a film in Korea.
2. Filming at Gyeongbok Palace.
3. Making a 사극 영화 (Korean period piece).

'The Descendant' is all about how a lineage can fall apart through generations and how acting out of fear can realise our true nightmares." - Sam