Hong Sang-soo

Biography

Hong Sang-soo (born October 25, 1960) is a South Korean writer-director. He has directed 35 films as of 2026. Certain elements are commonly found in Hong's films. A typical Hong film highlights a theme of domestic realism with many of the scenes set on residential streets, cafes, hotels, schools, and in the stairwells of apartment buildings. Characters 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 frequently changing stories while on set. He rarely prepares scripts in advance. Hong's style has been compared to Eric Rohmer's, and it has even been argued that allusions to Rohmer's films appear in some films directed by Hong.

Directed

1. Right Now, Wrong Then (2015) — Director
2. On the Beach at Night Alone (2017) — Director
3. In Another Country (2012) — Director
4. The Woman Who Ran (2020) — Director
5. The Day After (2017) — Director
6. Tale of Cinema (2005) — Director
7. The Day He Arrives (2011) — Director
8. Claire's Camera (2018) — Director
9. Hill of Freedom (2014) — Director
10. Hotel by the River (2019) — Director
11. Woman Is the Future of Man (2004) — Director
12. Ha Ha Ha (2010) — Director
13. On the Occasion of Remembering the Turning Gate (2002) — Director
14. The Day a Pig Fell Into the Well (1996) — Director
15. Nobody's Daughter Haewon (2013) — Director
16. Grass (2018) — Director
17. Virgin Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors (2000) — Director
18. Yourself and Yours (2016) — Director
19. Oki's Movie (2010) — Director
20. In Front of Your Face (2021) — Director
21. The Novelist's Film (2022) — Director
22. Our Sunhi (2013) — Director
23. Night and Day (2008) — Director
24. Woman on the Beach (2006) — Director
25. Like You Know It All (2009) — Director
26. The Power of Kangwon Province (1998) — Director
27. Introduction (2021) — Director
28. Walk Up (2022) — Director
29. In Water (2023) — Director
30. A Traveler's Needs (2024) — Director
31. In Our Day (2023) — Director
32. Venice 70: Future Reloaded (2013) — Director
33. Lost in the Mountains (2009) — Director
34. By the Stream (2024) — Director
35. What Does That Nature Say to You (2025) — Director
36. List (2011) — Director
37. The Day She Returns (2026) — Director
38. Small Flower (2022) — Director
39. Hong Sangsoo – Winner of the Silver Bear for Best Screenplay (2021) — Director
40. Letter to the New York Film Festival (2021) — Director

Also appeared in

1. Hong Sangsoo – Winner of the Silver Bear for Best Screenplay (2021) — Narrator (Voice)
2. The Nine Lives of Korean Cinema (2005) — Self
3. Tony Rayns, the Not-So-Distant Observer (2012) — Self
4. It Snows on You (2024)