Park Chan-wook ( ; born 23 August 1963) is a South Korean

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, pr ...

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

, producer, and former

film critic Film criticism is the analysis and evaluation of films and the film medium. In general, film criticism can be divided into two categories: journalistic criticism that appears regularly in newspapers, magazines and other popular mass-media outlets ...

. He is considered as one of the most prominent filmmakers of South Korean cinema as well as world cinema in 21st century. His films have gained notoriety for their cinematography and framing,

black humor Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discu ...

and often brutal subject matter. Park's first major critical and commercial success came with ''

Joint Security Area The Joint Security Area (JSA, often referred to as the Truce Village or Panmunjom) is the only portion of the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) where North and South Korean forces stand face-to-face. The JSA is used by the two Koreas for dipl ...

'' (2000) which was the most watched South Korean film at the time. This film helped him to secure more creative freedom and his next were '' Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance'' (2002) and '' Oldboy'' (2003) which received widespread critical acclaim worldwide and also won

Grand Prix Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural Grands Prix), is a name sometimes used for competitions or sport events, alluding to the winner receiving a prize, trophy or honour Grand Prix or grand prix may refer to: Arts and entertainment ...

prize at

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films ...

. '' Lady Vengeance'' (2005), another film in the unofficial ''

The Vengeance Trilogy ''The Vengeance Trilogy'' ( ko, italic=yes, 복수 삼부작) is a South Korean thematically-linked film trilogy directed by Park Chan-wook, comprising '' Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance'' (2002), '' Oldboy'' (2003) and '' Lady Vengeance'' (2005). E ...

'', also received critical acclaim. His next psychological thriller '' The Handmaiden'' (2016) premiered in competition to rave reviews at the

2016 Cannes Film Festival The 69th Cannes Film Festival was held from 11 to 22 May 2016. Australian director George Miller was the President of the Jury for the main competition. French actor Laurent Lafitte was the host for the opening and closing ceremonies. On 15 Marc ...

, nominated for

Palme d'Or The Palme d'Or (; en, Golden Palm) is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the festival's organizing committee. Previously, from 1939 to 1954, the festival's highest prize was the Grand Prix du Fe ...

and Queer Palm and won the Vulcain Prize for the Technical Arts, the film saw critical and commercial success in several countries, including South Korea, the United States and the United Kingdom. It also won the category of

Best Film Not in the English Language The BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language is given annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts and presented at the British Academy Film Awards. The award was first given at the 36th British Academy Film Awards, re ...

. For '' Decision to Leave'' (2022), Park won Best Director at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival and the film was selected to compete for the

. He is also known for ''

Thirst Thirst is the craving for potable fluids, resulting in the basic instinct of animals to drinking, drink. It is an essential mechanism involved in fluid balance. It arises from a lack of fluids or an increase in the concentration of certain osmol ...

'' (2009) and English-language works '' Stoker'' (2013) and ''

The Little Drummer Girl ''The Little Drummer Girl'' is a spy novel by British writer John le Carré, published in 1983. The story follows the manipulations of Martin Kurtz, an Israeli spymaster who intends to kill Khalil – a Palestinian terrorist who is bombing Jewi ...

'' (2018), a television miniseries based on the novel of the same name by

John le Carré David John Moore Cornwell (19 October 193112 December 2020), better known by his pen name John le Carré ( ), was a British and Irish author, best known for his espionage novels, many of which were successfully adapted for film or television. ...

Early life

Park was born and raised in

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the Capital city, capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the North Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea ...

and studied philosophy at Sogang University, where, in light of his disappointment with the

analytic Generally speaking, analytic (from el, ἀναλυτικός, ''analytikos'') refers to the "having the ability to analyze" or "division into elements or principles". Analytic or analytical can also have the following meanings: Chemistry * ...

orientation of the department and consequent scant offerings in aesthetics, he started a cinema club, the 'Sogang Film Community', and published a number of articles on contemporary cinema. Originally intending to be an

art critic An art critic is a person who is specialized in analyzing, interpreting, and evaluating art. Their written critiques or reviews contribute to art criticism and they are published in newspapers, magazines, books, exhibition brochures, and catalogu ...

, Park, upon seeing ''

Vertigo Vertigo is a condition where a person has the sensation of movement or of surrounding objects moving when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. This may be associated with nausea, vomiting, sweating, or difficulties w ...

'', resolved to become a filmmaker. After graduation, he wrote articles on film for journals and soon became an assistant director of films like ''Kkamdong'', directed by Yu Yeong-jin, and '' Watercolor Painting in a Rainy Day'', directed by

Kwak Jae-yong Kwak Jae-yong (born 22 May 1959) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. He studied physics at Kyung Hee University. He achieved success with his debut film '' Watercolor Painting in a Rainy Day'' in 1989, but the failure of his next ...

(''

My Sassy Girl ''My Sassy Girl'' ( ko, 엽기적인 그녀, Yeopgijeogin Geunyeo, That Bizarre Girl) is a 2001 South Korean romantic comedy film directed by Kwak Jae-yong, starring Jun Ji-hyun and Cha Tae-hyun. The film is based on a true story told in a series ...

'').

Career

Park's debut feature film was '' The Moon Is... the Sun's Dream'' (1992). After five years, he made his second film, '' Trio''. Park's early films were not successful at the box office, and he pursued a career as a film critic to make a living. In 2000, Park directed ''

'', which was a great success both commercially and critically, even surpassing Kang Je-gyu's '' Shiri'' as the then most-watched film ever made in South Korea. This success made it possible for Park to make his next film more independently. '' Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance'' is the result of this creative freedom. Park's unofficially-titled '' Vengeance Trilogy'' consists of '' Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance'' (2002), '' Oldboy'' (2003) and '' Lady Vengeance'' (2005). It was not originally intended to be a trilogy. Park won the

at the

2004 Cannes Film Festival The 57th Cannes Film Festival started on 12 and ran until 23 May 2004. The Palme d'Or went to the American film ''Fahrenheit 9/11'' by Michael Moore. The festival opened with '' La mala educación'', directed by Pedro Almodóvar and closed with ...

for '' Oldboy''. The films concern the utter futility of vengeance and how it wreaks havoc on the lives of those involved. '' Lady Vengeance'' was distributed by

Tartan Films Palisades Tartan is a British/American film distribution company, founded by US-based Palisades Media Group to take over the film library of film distributor Tartan Films after it folded in the summer of 2008. History Tartan Films, established i ...

for the United States theatrical release in April 2006. American director

Quentin Tarantino Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American film director, writer, producer, and actor. His films are characterized by stylized violence, extended dialogue, profanity, dark humor, non-linear storylines, cameos, ensembl ...

is an avowed fan of Park. As the head judge at the

, he personally pushed for Park's ''Oldboy'' to be awarded the

(the honour eventually went to

Michael Moore Michael Francis Moore (born April 23, 1954) is an American filmmaker, author and left-wing activist. His works frequently address the topics of globalization and capitalism. Moore won the 2002 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for ' ...

's ''

Fahrenheit 9/11 ''Fahrenheit 9/11'' is a 2004 American documentary film directed, written by, and starring filmmaker, director, political commentator and activist Michael Moore. The film takes a liberal, critical look at the presidency of George W. Bush, th ...

''). ''Oldboy'' garnered the

, Cannes's second-highest honour. Tarantino also regards Park's ''

'' to be one of "the top twenty films made since 1992." In a May 2004 interview with ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly large ...

'', Park listed

Sophocles Sophocles (; grc, Σοφοκλῆς, , Sophoklễs; 497/6 – winter 406/5 BC)Sommerstein (2002), p. 41. is one of three ancient Greek tragedians, at least one of whose plays has survived in full. His first plays were written later than, or c ...

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

, Kafka,

Dostoevsky Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky (, ; rus, Фёдор Михайлович Достоевский, Fyódor Mikháylovich Dostoyévskiy, p=ˈfʲɵdər mʲɪˈxajləvʲɪdʑ dəstɐˈjefskʲɪj, a=ru-Dostoevsky.ogg, links=yes; 11 November 18219 ...

, Balzac and

Kurt Vonnegut Kurt Vonnegut Jr. (November 11, 1922 – April 11, 2007) was an American writer known for his satirical and darkly humorous novels. In a career spanning over 50 years, he published fourteen novels, three short-story collections, five plays, and ...

as influences on his career. Since 2004, Park has been an owner of the filmmaking company Moho Film, which participated in the production of '' Snowpiercer'' (2013) and '' The Handmaiden'' (2016). In 2006, Park was the member of official section jury at the 63rd Venice International Film Festival. In February 2007, Park won the Alfred Bauer Prize at the 57th

Berlin International Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the fest ...

. The award, named after the festival's founder and in praise of works that introduce new perspectives, went to Park for his film, ''

I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK ''I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK'' ( ko, 싸이보그지만 괜찮아; ''Ssaibogeujiman Gwaenchana'') is a 2006 South Korean romantic comedy film directed by Park Chan-wook. Plot The film takes place mostly in a mental institution filled with an ecl ...

''.

In 2009, Park directed the vampire film ''

'', starring Song Kang-ho, which won the Prix du Jury (alongside ''

Fish Tank An aquarium (plural: ''aquariums'' or ''aquaria'') is a vivarium of any size having at least one transparent side in which aquatic plants or animals are kept and displayed. fishkeeping, Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amp ...

,'' directed by

Andrea Arnold Andrea Arnold, OBE (born 5 April 1961) is an English filmmaker and former actor. She won an Academy Award for her short film ''Wasp'' in 2005. Her feature films include '' Red Road'' (2006), ''Fish Tank'' (2009), and '' American Honey'' (2016), ...

) at the

2009 Cannes Film Festival The 62nd Cannes Film Festival was held from 13 May to 24 May 2009. French actress Isabelle Huppert was the President of the Jury. Twenty films from thirteen countries were selected to compete for the Palme d'Or. The awards were announced on 23 M ...

. He considered directing '' Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy'' but ultimately turned it down. In 2011, Park said his new fantasy-horror film ''Paranmanjang ( Night Fishing)'' was shot entirely on the iPhone. The film was co-directed with Park's younger brother, Park Chan-kyong, who had no prior directing experience. It was nominated for Berlinale Shorts during the

2011 Berlin Film Festival The 61st annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 10 to 20 February 2011, with actress Isabella Rossellini as the President of the Jury. The Coen Brothers film '' True Grit'' opened the festival. 300,000 tickets were sold in tota ...

and won the Golden Bear for Best Short Film. In 2013, Park directed his first English-language film, '' Stoker''. He said he learned to accelerate the production process and completed filming in 480 hours. Although Park does speak English, he used an interpreter on set. On why the script attracted his attention, Park said: "It wasn't a script that tried to explain everything and left many things as questions, so it leads the audience to find answers for themselves, and that's what I liked about the script... I like telling big stories through small, artificially created worlds". On 2 March 2013, Park appeared on a panel discussion about the film ''Stoker'' held at the Freer Gallery of Art in the Smithsonian's Museums of Asian Art. In 2014, Park directed a short film commissioned by luxury brand Ermenegildo Zegna, co-written by himself,

Ayako Fujitani is a Japanese writer and actress. Early life Ayako Fujitani was born in Osaka, Japan. She is the daughter of Steven Seagal by his first wife, aikido master Miyako Fujitani. As a teenager, she also resided in Los Angeles. Career Acting Fu ...

, Chung Chung-hoon and Michael Werwie, scored by

Clint Mansell Clinton Darryl Mansell (; born 7 January 1963) is an English musician, singer, and composer, born in Coventry. He served as the lead singer and multi-instrumentalist of alt-rock band Pop Will Eat Itself before embarking on a career as a fi ...

, and starring

Jack Huston Jack Alexander Huston (born 7 December 1982) is a British actor. He appeared as Richard Harrow in the HBO television drama series ''Boardwalk Empire''. He also had a supporting role in the 2013 film ''American Hustle'', portrayed the eponymous ...

and

Daniel Wu Daniel Ng Neh-Tsu (, born September 30, 1974) is an American actor, director and producer based in Hong Kong. He is known as a "flexible and distinctive" leading actor in the Chinese language film industry. Since his film debut in 1998, he has ...

. It screened at the

Rome International Film Festival International Rome Film Fest is a film festival that takes place in Rome during the month of October. The name in Italian is Festa del Cinema di Roma. Sections The Rome Film Festival official program is divided into several sections: Cinema d'O ...

and the

Busan International Film Festival The Busan International Film Festival (BIFF, previously Pusan International Film Festival, PIFF), held annually in Haeundae-gu, Busan (''also'' Pusan), South Korea, is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia. The first festiv ...

In September 2014, it was announced that Park would adapt '' Fingersmith'', a historical crime novel by Sarah Waters. The film entered production in mid-2015 and ended on 31 October 2015. That film ended up becoming '' The Handmaiden'' and premiered in competition to rave reviews at the

, where Artistic Director Seong-hie Ryu won the Vulcain Prize for the Technical Arts, and the film was nominated for both the Palme d' Or and Queer Palm. At the 2016 Buil Film Awards, ''The Handmaiden'' won for Best New Actress (Tae-ri Kim), The Buil Readers' Jury Award and Best Art Direction (Seong-hie Ryu). The film holds a 95% rating on

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wan ...

, and saw box office success in several countries, including South Korea, the United States and the United Kingdom. In October 2014, it was announced that Park had signed on to direct the sci-fi body-swap film, ''Second Born''. In January 2018, it was stated that Park would direct a TV miniseries adaptation of ''

'', a novel by

. It aired on

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...

in October of that year and stars Michael Shannon, Florence Pugh and

Alexander Skarsgård Alexander Johan Hjalmar Skarsgård (; born August 25, 1976) is a Swedish actor. Born in Stockholm, he began acting at age seven but quit at 13. After serving in the Swedish military, Skarsgård returned to acting and gained his first role in th ...

. At the

24th Busan International Film Festival The 24th Busan International Film Festival was held from October 3 to October 12, 2019 at the Busan Cinema Center in Busan, South Korea. A total of 299 films from 85 countries were screened at the festival, including 118 world premieres and 27 i ...

, Park said that he is writing scripts for feature films, for theater and for TV, including a new installment in the ''Vengeance Trilogy'', and a second adaptation of Donald E. Westlake's novel ''The Axe''. In May 2020, it was announced that he was working on his next film's screenplay, tentatively titled ''Heeojil gyeolsim'' (''The Decision to Break Up''). It is described as a

melodrama A modern melodrama is a dramatic work in which the plot, typically sensationalized and for a strong emotional appeal, takes precedence over detailed characterization. Melodramas typically concentrate on dialogue that is often bombastic or exce ...

and will star

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and

Park Hae-il Park Hae-il (born 26 January 1977) is a South Korean actor. He began his acting career in theater, but soon gained the film industry's attention in 2003 with '' Jealousy Is My Middle Name'' and '' Memories of Murder''. Park's film career took of ...

. In October 2020, the title of the film was revealed as '' Decision to Leave'', with the story described as a murder mystery romance. The film was set to begin shooting later that month. In April 2021, A24 optioned Viet Thanh Nguyen's 2015 novel ''

The Sympathizer ''The Sympathizer'' is the 2015 debut novel by Vietnamese-American professor Viet Thanh Nguyen. It is a best-selling novel and recipient of the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. The novel received generally positive acclaim from critics, and it ...

'' for a TV adaptation, with Park Chan-wook directing. He was awarded Best Director at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival for his work on ''Decision to Leave''.

Personal life

Park was raised in a devout Catholic family in Korea, and describes himself as an atheist. He has collaborated with his younger brother, Park Chan-kyong, who is a media artist. He dedicated his career tribute to his wife Kim Eun-Hee at the 15th

Marrakech International Film Festival The Marrakech International Film Festival (FIFM) ( ar, المهرجان الدولي للفيلم بمراكش, Amazigh ⴰⵏⵎⵓⴳⴳⴰⵔ ⴰⴳⵔⴰⵖⵍⴰⵏ ⵏ ⵍⴼⵉⵍⵎ ⴳ ⵎⵕⵕⴰⴽⵛ ) is an international film fest ...

. He voiced support for the Democratic Labor Party and was also a member of its successor, the New Progressive Party. He supported Justice Party candidate Sim Sang-jung in the 2017 South Korean presidential election.

Filmography

Source:

Korean Movie Database The Korean Movie Database (KMDb) is a South Korean online database of information related to Korean movies, animation, actors, television shows, production crew personnel and other film-related information. KMDb launched in February 2006 by ...

Feature films

Television

Short films

Bibliography

* 2005. ''Park's Montage'' (박찬욱의 몽타주). 마음 산책. 299 pages. . * 2005. ''Park's Hommage'' (박찬욱의 오마주). 마음 산책. 528 pages. .

Awards and nominations

Park is a recipient of the Bogwan Order of Cultural Merit (2004).https://www.peoplemagazine.co.za/celebrity-news/international-celebrities/bts-receive-south-koreas-cultural-merit-medal/

State honors

Notes

References

Naver Naver (Hangul: 네이버) is a South Korean online platform operated by the Naver Corporation. It was launched in 1999 as the first web portal in South Korea to develop and use its own search engine. It was also the world's first operator to ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Park, Chan-Wook South Korean atheists South Korean film producers South Korean film directors South Korean screenwriters South Korean film critics People from Seoul 1963 births Living people Sogang University alumni Asian film producers Horror film directors Filmmakers who won the Best Foreign Language Film BAFTA Award Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Director winners Best Director Paeksang Arts Award (film) winners category:Grand Prize Paeksang Arts Award (Film) winners