SQUID GAME Director Hwang Dong-hyuk to Receive Gotham's Creator Tribute

The Gotham Film & Media Institute has announced that Director Hwang Dong-hyuk will receive the Creator Tribute for Netflix’s global juggernaut Squid Game at the Second Annual Gotham Television Awards, taking place live and in person on Monday, June 2nd at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City and livestreaming on Variety’s YouTube channel.

The Gotham Television Awards Creator Tribute was created in 2024 to recognize the iconic artists and creators who have enriched the landscape and pushed the boundaries of TV, making an indelible impact on the medium. With this tribute, The Gotham will honor Director Hwang for combining high-stakes storytelling with sharp cultural commentary to create the global phenomenon that is Squid Game. The Gothams previously celebrated the series with the competitive category award for Best Long Form Breakthrough Series at The Gothams in 2021.

Squid Game – created and directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk – has become Netflix’s most popular show of all time and a defining moment in global television. Known for its gripping narrative exploring economic desperation and corruption through twisted versions of childhood games, the series has sparked worldwide conversation and left a lasting cultural mark. Upon release, it amassed 1.65 billion viewing hours in just 28 days. It also made Emmy® history with 14 nominations and six wins, including Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series – a first for a non-English language show. The honor also made Dong-hyuk the first Asian recipient in the category and the first native Korean winner. Season 2, which premiered in December 2024, broke streaming records with the most views for a show in its premiere week and entered Netflix’s Most Popular Non-English TV list within three days. 

The third and final season of Squid Game will premiere globally on Netflix on June 27, 2025, with seasons 1 and 2 currently available to stream on the platform. THE FRANCHISE has continued to grow with the Emmy®-nominated and BAFTA-winning Squid Game: The Challenge, along with Squid Game: The Experience, a touring fan activation, and Squid Game: Unleashed, a multiplayer video game that is on track to become Netflix’s most downloaded title.

The Gotham Television Awards’ inaugural Creator Tribute was presented last year to Peter Morgan for his remarkable creation of The Crown. It was previously announced that Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino will also receive the Creator Tribute at the Second Annual Gotham Television Awards. At the inaugural Gotham Television Awards ceremony, Baby Reindeer, a unique exploration of stalking and buried traumas created by and starring Richard Gadd, won Breakthrough Limited Series while Mr. & Mrs. Smith, created by Francesca Sloane and Donald Glover and inspired by the 2005 spy movie, won Breakthrough Drama Series. Colin from Accounts, the romcom in which two singles are brought together by a car accident involving a dog, took home the Breakthrough Series Comedy award. 

Winners of the Second Annual Gotham Television Awards will be honored at the awards ceremony at Cipriani Wall Street on Monday, June 2nd, which will be livestreamed on Variety’s YouTube channel. The Premier Sponsor of the 2025 Gotham Television Awards is Vanity Fair.

Photo courtesy of Mok Jung-wook/Netflix