Hong Sang-soo
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Hong Sang-soo (Korean: 홍상수; born 25 October 1960) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. He is one of the most prominent exponents of slow cinema, often dealing in love affairs and everyday dilemmas in contemporary South Korea. His work has been widely-acclaimed and received numerous international accolades.
Early life and education
Hong's parents owned the film production company Cinetel Soul. Hong took the entrance exam and entered the theater department at Chung-Ang University. He then studied in the United States, where he received his bachelor's degree from the California College of Arts and Crafts and his master's at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Career
Hong made his directorial debut in 1996 with The Day a Pig Fell into the Well. Woman is the Future of Man (2004) was his first film to screen in the main competition at the Cannes Film Festival. Hong's films have also screened in the main competition of the Berlin International Film Festival, the Venice Film Festival, and the Locarno Film Festival. They are also regularly screened in non-competitive festivals, such as the New York Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival.
Hong received the Prix Un Certain Regard at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival for Hahaha. In 2013, he won the Silver Leopard Award for Best Director for Our Sunhi, and, in 2015, the Golden Leopard for Right Now, Wrong Then, both at the Locarno Film Festival. Most recently, his 2020 film The Woman Who Ran won the Silver Bear for Best Director at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival, Introduction won the Silver Bear for Best Screenplay, The Novelist's Film (2022) won the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize at the 72nd Berlin International Film Festival, and A Traveler's Needs (2024) won the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival.
In June 2018, Hong was invited to become a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
In April 2025, Hong was announced as a member of the jury for Main Competition section of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.
Filmmaking style and techniques
Hong's films often treat themes of domestic realism, with many of the scenes set on residential streets, cafes, hotels, schools, and in the stairwells of apartment buildings. Characters in the film are seen walking around the city, drinking soju, and having sex. The main characters are often movie directors or actors, and scenes typically consist of a single shot, often beginning and ending with a camera zoom. The budgets for his movies average about $100,000.
Hong is often spontaneous when shooting, delivering the day's scene on the morning of the shoot and changing the story on set. He rarely prepares scripts in advance. Hong instead begins with a basic guideline and writes his scenes on the morning of the filming day, making changes throughout the day. He starts the filming day at 4 a.m. when he begins to write the dialogue for that day's shoot. Hong also develops close relationships with the actors over alcohol and cigarettes and sometimes shoots scenes while the actors are intoxicated.
Hong's style has been compared to Eric Rohmer's, with some[who?] arguing that some of his films deliberately allude to Rohmer's, as well as Yasujirō Ozu.
Personal life
In 1985, Hong married his wife and they had one daughter together.
In 2016, Hong was reported to be having an extramarital affair with actress Kim Min-hee, who had appeared in his 2015 film Right Now, Wrong Then. Hong admitted to the affair in March 2017, at the Seoul premiere of On the Beach at Night Alone. It was also reported that after he told his wife and daughter about his relationship with Kim, that he left their home in September of that year, although some sources reported that the couple had lived separately for years, prior to the relationship with Kim. He filed for divorce from his wife in December 2016, but the court rejected his request in June 2019, insisting that only the injured party, Hong's wife, could initiate a legal separation.
On January 14, 2025, after Hong was seen accompanying Kim to an obstetrics clinic, it was reported by news outlets that Hong and Kim were expecting their first child. Kim later gave birth to a son on April 8, 2025.
Filmography
Feature films
Short films
| Year | English Title | Also credited as | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Producer | Cinematographer | Editor | ||
| 2009 | Lost in the Mountains (Jeonju Digital Project: Visitors) | No | No | No |
| 2011 | List | No | No | No |
| 2013 | 50:50 (Venice 70: Future Reloaded) | No | No | No |
| 2021 | Hong Sangsoo — Winner of the Silver Bear for Best Screenplay | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Letter to the New York Film Festival | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2022 | Small Flower | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2023 | Another Letter to New York Film Festival | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Accolades
Korean awards
- 1996 - 17th Blue Dragon Film Awards: Best New Director for The Day a Pig Fell into the Well
- 1996 - 16th Korean Association of Film Critics Awards: Best New Director for The Day a Pig Fell into the Well
- 1998 - 19th Blue Dragon Film Awards: Best Director; Best Screenplay for The Power of Kangwon Province
- 2000 - 1st Busan Film Critics Awards: Best Screenplay for Virgin Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors
- 2006 - 9th Director's Cut Awards: Best Director for Woman on the Beach
- 2008 - 28th Korean Association of Film Critics Awards: Best Screenplay for Night and Day
- 2010 - 19th Buil Film Awards: Best Director for Hahaha
- 2013 - 14th Busan Film Critics Awards: Special Jury Prize for Our Sunhi
- 2014 - 23rd Buil Film Awards: Best Director for Our Sunhi
- 2015 - 2nd Wildflower Film Awards: Best Director, Narrative Films for Hill of Freedom
- 2017 - Busan Film Critics Awards: Grand Prize for On the Beach at Night Alone
- 2017 - Busan Film Critics Awards: Grand Prize for The Day After
- 2018 - 5th Wildflower Film Awards: Best Director, Narrative Films for The Day After
- 2022 - Busan Film Critics Awards: Grand Prize for In Front of Your Face
- 2023 - 24th Busan Film Critics Awards: Special Jury Prize for Walk Up
International awards
- 1996 - 15th Vancouver International Film Festival: Dragons and Tigers Award for The Day a Pig Fell into the Well
- 1997 - 42nd Asia Pacific Film Festival: Best New Director for The Day a Pig Fell into the Well
- 1997 - International Film Festival Rotterdam: Tiger Award for The Day a Pig Fell into the Well
- 1999 - Singapore International Film Festival: NETPAC-FIPRESCI Special Mention for The Power of Kangwon Province
- 1999 - Santa Barbara International Film Festival: Burning Vision Award for The Power of Kangwon Province
- 2000 - 45th Asia Pacific Film Festival: Best Screenplay for Virgin Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors
- 2000 - 13th Tokyo International Film Festival: Special Jury Prize for Virgin Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors
- 2002 - 47th Asia Pacific Film Festival: Best Director for On the Occasion of Remembering the Turning Gate
- 2003 - Seattle International Film Festival: Emerging Masters Showcase Award
- 2007 - 22nd Mar del Plata International Film Festival: Best Director for Woman on the Beach
- 2010 - 63rd Cannes Film Festival: Prix Un Certain Regard for Hahaha
- 2011 - 40th International Film Festival Rotterdam: Return of the Tiger Award for Oki's Movie
- 2013 - 66th Locarno International Film Festival: Best Director for Our Sunhi
- 2015 - 68th Locarno International Film Festival: Golden Leopard for Right Now, Wrong Then
- 2016 - 64th San Sebastián International Film Festival: Best Director for Yourself and Yours
- 2017 - Jerusalem Film Festival: Best International Film for On the Beach at Night Alone
- 2017 - LA Film Festival: World Fiction Award for On the Beach at Night Alone
- 2018 - Gijón International Film Festival: Winner for Hotel by the River
- 2018 - Gijón International Film Festival: Best Screenplay for Hotel by the River
- 2020 - 70th Berlin International Film Festival: Silver Bear for Best Director for The Woman Who Ran
- 2021 - 71st Berlin International Film Festival: Silver Bear for Best Screenplay for Introduction
- 2021 - Gijón International Film Festival: Special Jury Award for In Front of Your Face
- 2022 - 72nd Berlin International Film Festival: Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize for The Novelist's Film
- 2024 - 74th Berlin International Film Festival: Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize for A Traveler's Needs
State honors
| Name of the Country | Year Awarded | Name of the Honor | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Korea | 2011 | Presidential Commendation |
Frequent collaborators
Notes
External links
- at IMDb