Park Chan-wook

Biography

Park Chan-wook (Korean: 박찬욱; pronounced [pak̚tɕʰanuk̚]; born 23 August 1963) is a South Korean filmmaker and former film critic. Widely regarded as a leading figure in South Korean and 21st-century world cinema, he is known for films that blend crime, mystery, and thriller elements with other genres. His films are noted for their cinematography, framing, black humour, and often brutal subject matter. After two unsuccessful films in the 1990s, which he has since largely disowned, Park came to prominence with his acclaimed third directorial effort, Joint Security Area (2000), which became the highest-grossing film in South Korean history at the time and which Park himself prefers to be regarded as his directorial debut. Using his newfound creative freedom, he would go on to direct the films forming his unofficial The Vengeance Trilogy: Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002), a financial failure that polarised critics, followed by Oldboy (2003) and Lady Vengeance (2005), both of which received critical acclaim and were financially successful. Oldboy in particular is regarded as one of the greatest films ever made, and helped establish Park as a well-known director outside his native count…

Directed

1. Oldboy (2003) — Director
2. The Handmaiden (2016) — Director
3. Stoker (2013) — Director
4. Lady Vengeance (2005) — Director
5. Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002) — Director
6. Decision to Leave (2022) — Director
7. No Other Choice (2025) — Director
8. Thirst (2009) — Director
9. Joint Security Area (2000) — Director
10. I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK (2006) — Director
11. Three... Extremes (2004) — Director
12. The Little Drummer Girl (2018) — Director
13. The Sympathizer (2024) — Director
14. Judgement (1999) — Director
15. Night Fishing (2011) — Director
16. If You Were Me (2003) — Director
17. Trio (1997) — Director
18. The Moon Is... the Sun's Dream (1992) — Director
19. A Rose Reborn (2014) — Director
20. Day Trip (2012) — Director
21. 60 Seconds of Solitude in Year Zero (2011) — Director
22. Bitter, Sweet, Seoul (2014) — Director
23. V (2013) — Director
24. Lee Jung Hyun: V (2013) — Director
25. The Jailbreaker — Director
26. Decades Apart (2017) — Director
27. Never Ending Peace and Love (2003) — Director
28. Genocidal Organ — Director
29. The Brigands of Rattlecreek — Director

Also appeared in

1. Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002) — Bus Passenger (uncredited)
2. The Daily Show (1996) — Self - Guest
3. Crush and Blush (2008) — Passerby
4. Entourage (2016) — Self
5. Ari Ari the Korean Cinema (2012) — Self
6. You Quiz on the Block (2018) — Self
7. Old Days (2016) — Self
8. Movie Room (2018) — Self
9. Müdigkeitsgesellschaft: Byung-Chul Han in Seoul/Berlin (2015) — Self
10. I Haven’t Done Anything (2023) — Self
11. Snowpiercer: Transperceneige, From the Blank Page to the Black Screen (2014) — Self
12. The Nine Lives of Korean Cinema (2005) — Self
13. Han Kang Chronicles: A Tale of Seven Lives (2025) — Self
14. Mr. Kim Goes to the Cinema (2026) — Self
15. Making of Thirst (2010)
16. Making of The Handmaiden (2016)
17. Modern Korea (2019) — Self (archive footage)
18. Nattering with Nah (2023)
19. New Old Boy : Dir. Park (2025) — Self
20. Kultur-King Korea (2022)
21. Katanas, yakuzas y cintas de video (2004) — (archive footage)
22. Mascara (1995)
23. Through Korean Cinema (2010) — Self
24. Two Or Three Things I Know About Kim Ki-young (2007) — Self
25. Nino - Un film su Nino Rota — Self - director
26. Plankton Salesmen (2017) — Self (archive footage)
27. Autobiography of Oldboy (2004)
28. The Process of Mr. Vengeance (2005) — Self
29. The Making of Lady Vengeance (2005)
30. Cérémonie de palmarès du 79e Festival de Cannes (2026) — Self
31. 인생이 영화 (2025)