Hong Sang-soo
Hong Sang-soo (Korean: 홍상수; born 25 October 1960) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. His films often deal in love affairs and everyday dilemmas in contemporary South Korea. His work has been widely-acclaimed and received numerous international accolades.
Also recorded as Hong Sang Soo
Hong Sang-soo
Elena Ternovaja · Own work · CC BY-SA 3.0
- Born
- 1960. · Seoul.
- Nationality
- South Korea.
- Occupation
- screenwriter, executive producer, composer, cinematographer and director.
- Education
- Chung-Ang University and School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
- Honours
- Blue Dragon Film Award for Best New Director.
- Languages
- Korean and English.
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Hong Sang-soo (Korean: 홍상수; born 25 October 1960) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. His films often deal in love affairs and everyday dilemmas in contemporary South Korea. His work has been widely-acclaimed and received numerous international accolades.
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Note VALÉORINE
Hong Sang-soo (born 1960) is a cinematographer, composer and director, among other activities, of South Korean nationality. The cinematographer was born in Seoul. Hong Sang-soo was educated at Chung-Ang University and School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Languages used include English and Korean. Works are held at Museum of Modern Art. Honours include Blue Dragon Film Award for Best New Director.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 26 September 2026
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In this article
Early life and education
Early life and education
Hong Sang-soo studied at Chung-Ang University and School of the Art Institute of Chicago. The recorded working language is Korean and English. Work by Hong Sang-soo is recorded in the collections of Museum of Modern Art. Distinctions recorded are Blue Dragon Film Award for Best New Director.
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
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.
Personal life
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.
Filmmaking style
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 arguing that some of his films deliberately allude to Rohmer's, as well as Yasujirō Ozu.
Korean awards
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
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 2026 - 79th Locarno Film Festival: Pardo for Best Direction for Nowhere to Lay My Eyes
Hong Sang-soo poses during a photocall at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. They are part of the jury for the 2025 festival.
Gabriel Hutchinson · Gabriel Hutchinson / WikiPortraits
Hong Sang-soo during a photocall at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. They are part of the jury for the 2025 festival.
Gabriel Hutchinson · Gabriel Hutchinson / WikiPortraits
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Shin Su-ji. Director Files for Divorce Over May–September Romance. The Chosun Ilbo. 18 November 2016.
- 2.Director Hong Sang-soo fails to settle divorce, going to court. HanCinema. 20 December 2016.
- 3.칸영화제 초청받은 洪常秀감독. Yonhap News Agency. 20 April 1998.
- 4.Carew, Anthony. Expectedly unexpected: Repetition and understatement in the films of Hong Sang-Soo. Metro Magazine: Media & Education Magazine. 186. 82–87. 2015. 0312-2654.
- 5.Alum's Film Wins Top Prize at Jerusalem Film Festival. School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
- 6.SFFILM. "Hill of Freedom".
- 7.이도연. 홍상수 작품세계…"모든 일반화와 장르를 거부". 연합뉴스. 2020-03-01.
- 8.Rapold, Nicolas. Films of Hong Sang-soo Capture Pleasures and Pratfalls of Attraction. The New York Times. 17 May 2017.
- 9.Meza, Ed. 'There Is No Evil' Wins Golden Bear at Berlin Film Festival. Variety. 29 February 2020.
- 10.Sharf, Zack. Berlin Film Festival Winners 2021: 'Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn' Takes Golden Bear. IndieWire. 5 March 2021.
- 11.Lattanzio, Ryan. Berlin Film Festival 2022 Awards: 'Alcarràs' Wins Golden Bear, Claire Denis, Hong Sang-soo Take Top Prizes. IndieWire. 16 February 2022.
- 12.Rosser, Michael. Hong Sangsoo's Berlin Silver Bear winner 'A Traveler's Needs' lands Europe, Asia sales. Screen Daily. 8 May 2024.
- 13.ACADEMY INVITES 928 TO MEMBERSHIP. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 2018-06-25.
- 14.The Jury of the 78th Festival de Cannes. Festival de Cannes. 28 April 2025.
- 15.Lopate, Phillip. The Discreet Charm of Hong Sang-soo. The New York Review of Books. 7 December 2017.
- 16.Marshall, Colin. The Films of Sangsoo Hong. Quarterly Conversation. 11 June 2013.
- 17.Marco Grosoli, "Moral Tales from Korea: Hong Sang-Soo and Eric Rohmer", Acta Universitatis Sapientiae, Film and Media Studies 3 (2010), 95–108.
- 18.O'Connor, Rory. Hong Sang-soo’s Capacious and Confined Cinema. Frieze. 227. 2022-05-23. 0962-0672.
- 19.Higgins, Hang Ten. In Water is Out of Focus, Barely an Hour Long, and The Most Vulnerable Film Hong Sang Soo Has Ever Made. Grandma Sophia's Cookies. 2023-10-04.
- 20.The Seasons of Hong Sangsoo Part I, Summer & Fall. Harvard Film Archive. 2025-08-15.
- 21.[단독] 김민희, 홍상수 감독과 열애…1년째 부적절한 관계 : 네이트 연예. 모바일 네이트 뉴스.
- 22.Kim, Kristen Yoonsoo. In the Maze of Love: Hong Sang-soo and Kim Min-hee's Intricate Tales of Romance. The Nation. 26 April 2019. 0027-8378.
- 23.Director Hong Sang-soo Fails in Attempt to Divorce Wife. The Chosun Daily. 17 June 2019.
- 24.Court dismisses filmmaker Hong Sang-soo's divorce suit. The Korea Times. 14 June 2019.
- 25.Agent France Press. Film Director Cannot Divorce Wife Over Affair, Rules Court. NDTV.com. 14 June 2019.
- 26.Korean actress Kim Min-hee pregnant with first child at 42. South China Morning Post. 2025-01-17.
- 27.Actor Kim Min-hee six months pregnant; Hong Sang-soo to become father at 64 - The Korea Times. www.koreatimes.co.kr. 2025-01-17.
- 28.Actor Kim Min-hee gives birth to son with filmmaker Hong Sang-soo. koreajoongangdaily.joins.com. 2025-04-08.
- 29.Frater, Patrick. Hong Sang-soo's Directors Fortnight Closing Film 'In Our Day' Picked up by Finecut (EXCLUSIVE). Variety. 18 April 2023.
- 30.Berlin International Film Festival. A Traveler's Needs.
- 31.Frater, Patrick. Hong Sang-soo's 'By the Stream' Picked Up by Korea's Finecut Ahead of Locarno Premiere. Variety.
- 32.Geunyeoga doraon nal The Day She Returns Berlinale. www.berlinale.de.
- 33.Locarno Film Festival · Nun Dul Dega Eomne. Locarno Film Festival.
- 34.Lee Jung-min. 제23회 부산영화평론가협회상 대상에 '당신얼굴 앞에서. Yonhap News Agency. November 29, 2022.
- 35.Lee Jong-min. 부산영화평론가협회상 대상에 '절해고도' 선정. Yonhap News. November 24, 2023.
- 36.Berlin Film Festival 2020: There Is No Evil Wins Golden Bear. Variety. 29 February 2020.
- 37.The Korea Times. Korean director Hong Sang-soo wins best screenplay for 'Introduction' at Berlin film fest. 5 March 2021.
- 38.Gijón 59th FICX Edition Brings Back Audiences To Theaters. Variety. 1 November 2021.
- 39.Lee Jae-hoon. 홍상수, 베를린영화제 4번째 은곰상…김민희 "감동적"(종합). Newsis. Naver. 17 February 2022.
- 40.The Korea Herald. Hong Sang-soo's 'A Traveler's Needs' invited to 74th Berlinale. 23 January 2024.
- 41.Screen Daily. Finecut picks up Hong Sangsoo's Berlin Competition drama 'A Traveler's Needs'.
- 42.Georg Szalai. Locarno Film Festival Awards Go to ‘You Don’t Belong Here,’ Hong Sangsoo, Monica Bellucci. The Hollywood Reporter. 15 August 2026.
- 43.Hicap, Jonathan. BTS, Red Velvet win at Korean Popular Culture and Arts Awards. Manila Bulletin. 18 October 2018.
- 44.Yeo, Ye-rim. BTS gets award upon their return home. Yonhap News Agency. 25 October 2018.
- 45.Lee, Sang-won. Korean Popular Culture and Arts Awards announces winners. The Korea Herald. 25 October 2016.
- 46.Korea Creative Content Agency.
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