Park Chan-wook


Park Chan-wook is a South Korean film director, screenwriter, producer, and former film critic. One of the most acclaimed and popular filmmakers in his native country, Park is best known for his films Joint Security Area, Thirst, The Handmaiden and what has become known as The Vengeance Trilogy, consisting of Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Oldboy and Lady Vengeance.
He is also known for his English-language works Stoker and The Little Drummer Girl, a television miniseries based on the novel of the same name by John le Carré.
His films have gained notoriety for their immaculate framing, black humor and often brutal subject matters.

Early life

Park was born and raised in Seoul and studied philosophy at Sogang University, where, in light of his disappointment with the analytic 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, Park, upon seeing Vertigo, 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.

Career

Park's debut feature film was The Moon Is... the Sun's Dream. 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 Joint Security Area, 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, Oldboy and Lady Vengeance. It was not originally intended to be a trilogy. Park won the Grand Prix at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival 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 for the United States theatrical release in April 2006. American director Quentin Tarantino is an avowed fan of Park. As the head judge at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival, he personally pushed for Park's Oldboy to be awarded the Palme d'Or. Oldboy garnered the Grand Prix, Cannes's second-highest honour. Tarantino also regards Park's Joint Security Area to be one of 'the top twenty films made since 1992'.
In a May 2004 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Park listed Sophocles, Shakespeare, Kafka, Dostoevsky, Balzac and Kurt Vonnegut 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 and The Handmaiden.
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 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.
In 2009, Park directed the vampire film Thirst, starring Song Kang-ho, which won the Prix du Jury at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. He considered directing Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy but ultimately turned it down.
In 2011, Park said his new fantasy-horror film Paranmanjang 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 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, Chung Chung-hoon and Michael Werwie, scored by Clint Mansell, and starring Jack Huston and Daniel Wu. It screened at the Rome International Film Festival and the Busan International Film Festival.
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 2016 Cannes Film Festival, 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, The Buil Readers' Jury Award and Best Art Direction. The film holds a 95% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, 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 reported that Park would direct a TV miniseries adaptation of The Little Drummer Girl, a novel by John le Carré. It aired on BBC One in October of that year and stars Michael Shannon, Florence Pugh and Alexander Skarsgård. At the 24th Busan International Film Festival, Park announced that he is writing scripts for feature films, for theater and for TV, including a new installment in Vengeance Trilogy, and a second adaptation of Donald E. Westlake's novel The Axe.

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.

Filmography

Films

Television

Short films

* directed with his brother Park Chan-kyong

Awards

Park is a recipient of the Bogwan Order of Cultural Merit.
YearEventAwardTitle
2001Deauville Asian Film FestivalLotus Award for Best FilmJoint Security Area
2001Seattle International Film FestivalNew Director's Showcase Special Jury PrizeJoint Security Area
2002Blue Ribbon Awards, JapanBest Foreign Language FilmJoint Security Area
2002Seattle International Film FestivalEmerging Masters Showcase Award
2003Fantasia Festival, MontrealBest Asian FilmSympathy for Mr. Vengeance
2003Philadelphia Film FestivalJury Award for Best Feature FilmSympathy for Mr. Vengeance
2004Cannes Film FestivalGrand PrixOldboy
2004Asia Pacific Film FestivalBest DirectorOldboy
2004Bergen International Film FestivalAudience AwardOldboy
2004Grand Bell Awards, South KoreaBest DirectorOldboy
2004Sitges Catalan International Film FestivalBest FilmOldboy
2004Stockholm International Film FestivalAudience AwardOldboy
2005Bangkok International Film FestivalGolden Kinnaree Award for Best DirectorOldboy
2005Venice Film FestivalCinemAvvenire AwardLady Vengeance
2006Bangkok International Film FestivalGolden Kinnaree Award for Best DirectorLady Vengeance
2006Fantasporto, PortugalOrient Express Section Grand Prize for Best FilmLady Vengeance
2006Sarasota Film FestivalAudience Award for Best in World CinemaLady Vengeance
2007Berlin International Film FestivalAlfred Bauer AwardI'm a Cyborg, But That's OK
2007Montréal Festival of New CinemaZ Tele Grand Prize Feature Film AwardI'm a Cyborg, But That's OK
2007Sitges Catalan International Film FestivalBest ScreenplayI'm a Cyborg, But That's OK
2008Fantasporto, PortugalInternational Fantasy Film Award - Special MentionI'm a Cyborg, But That's OK
2009Cannes Film FestivalJury PrizeThirst
2011Berlin Film FestivalGolden Bear for Best Short FilmNight Fishing
2016Boston Society of Film Critics AwardsBest Foreign Language FilmThe Handmaiden
2016Buil Film AwardsBuil Readers' Jury AwardThe Handmaiden
2016Chicago Film Critics Association AwardsBest Adapted ScreenplayThe Handmaiden
2016Chicago Film Critics Association AwardsBest Foreign Language FilmThe Handmaiden
2016Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association AwardsBest Foreign Language FilmThe Handmaiden
2016Los Angeles Film Critics Association AwardsBest Foreign Language FilmThe Handmaiden
2016New York Film Critics OnlineBest Foreign Language FilmThe Handmaiden
2016San Francisco Film Critics Circle AwardsBest Foreign Language FilmThe Handmaiden
2016Houston Film Critics Society AwardsBest Foreign Language FilmThe Handmaiden
2017KOFRA Film AwardsFilm Industry Figure of the YearThe Handmaiden
2017Baeksang Arts AwardsGrand Prize The Handmaiden
2017Saturn AwardsBest International FilmThe Handmaiden
201871st British Academy Film AwardsBest Film Not in the English LanguageThe Handmaiden
2019Geneva International Film FestivalFilm & Beyond Award
2019Oslo Films from the South FestivalSilver Mirror