Kogonada

• Name — Kogonada • Birth Name — 박중은 Park Joong Eun • Birthplace — Seoul, South Korea • Occupation — Video essayist, filmmaker • Years Active — 2012–present • Children — 2 • Website — kogonada.com

Kogonada was born in Seoul. He immigrated from South Korea as a child and was raised in Indiana and Chicago.

• Illustration — Kogonada in 2017 Kogonada posted his first video essay in January 2012. Using clips from the American television series Breaking Bad, the video displays the series' use of numerous point-of-view shots from unusual angles and objects. Kogonada was inspired to create the video essay while he watched the series, noticing a recurring visual aesthetic used throughout the series. In February 2013, he was commissioned by the British Film Institute to create a video essay on the films of Hirokazu Kore-eda for their publication Sight & Sound. He subsequently did additional commissioned work for Sight & Sound as well as for The Criterion Collection, Samsung, and the Lincoln Motor Company. In March 2016, Kogonada was part of the official jury for the 16th LPA Film Festival at the Canary Islands, Spain, where he taught a master class and had screenings for 14 of his video essays at the "Bande à part" section. His feature directorial debut was Columbus (2017), which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival before receiving a limited theatrical release by the Sundance Institute on August 11, 2017. He also wrote and edited the film. The film received wide acclaim from critics and garnered nominations at the Independent Spirit Awards and Gotham Independent Film Awards. Kogonada next wrote, edited, and directed the science fiction film After Yang (2021), which had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival and its North American premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Alfred P. Sloan Prize. The film was favorably received by critics and in 2024 was named the 9th best science fiction film of the 21st century by IndieWire. In 2022, Kogonada directed four episodes of the first season of Pachinko, which garnered several accolades, including a Peabody Award and a Critics' Choice Award. He continued his television work by directing two episodes of the Star Wars television series The Acolyte (2024). He has also been tapped to direct a limited series about Vincent Chin, with Chloé Zhao executive producing. Kogonada directed the romantic fantasy film A Big Bold Beautiful Journey (2025) from a screenplay by Seth Reiss. The film, released in the United States September 19, 2025, stars Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell. In September 2025, Kogonada served as a member of the Competition Jury at the 30th Busan International Film Festival.

Kogonada took his pseudonym from Kogo Noda, a frequent screenwriter of Yasujirō Ozu's films. He explained to Filmmaker: I like Chris Marker's idea about your work being your work. I’ve also never identified much with my American name, which always feels a little strange to see or hear... And I'm quite fond of heteronyms. In a 2018 interview with the Financial Times, Kogonada stated: If I'm honest, the pseudonym was about being an Asian-American too. There is something about being an immigrant in America and having the power to name yourself.

• Year — Title — Director — Executive producer — Notes • 2022 — Pachinko — 4 episodes • 2024 — The Acolyte — 2 episodes

• Year — Award — Category — Title — Result • 2021 — Cannes Film Festival — Un Certain Regard Award — After Yang • 2022 — Peabody Awards — Entertainment — Pachinko • Gotham Awards — Breakthrough Series - Longform • Sundance Film Festival — Alfred P. Sloan Best Feature Film — After Yang • Boston Society of Film Critics Awards — Best Adapted Screenplay • 2023 — British Academy Film Awards — Best International TV Series — Pachinko

• Thomas Elsaesser, Malte Hagener, Film Theory: An Introduction through the Senses, 2nd, Routledge, 2015, 246 p,. • For the Love of Cinema: Teaching Our Passion In and Outside the Classroom / Rashna Wadia Richards, David T. Johnson, Indiana University Press, 2017, p. 185,.