Na Hongjin, born in 1974, was working in advertisement when he decided to follow his dream of making films and entered the Korea National University of Arts. He made his directing debut in 2003 with the short <5 Minutes>, but it is his follow-up short <A Perfect Red Snapper Dish> (2005) that first brought him recognition, as it won Best Film at the Mise-en-scene Short Film Festival. His 2007 short <Sweat>, in which he criticized capitalism through the monoch...More

Na Hongjin, born in 1974, was working in advertisement when he decided to follow his dream of making films and entered the Korea National University of Arts. He made his directing debut in 2003 with the short <5 Minutes>, but it is his follow-up short <A Perfect Red Snapper Dish> (2005) that first brought him recognition, as it won Best Film at the Mise-en-scene Short Film Festival. His 2007 short <Sweat>, in which he criticized capitalism through the monochromatic depiction of sweating people shot in slow-motion, earned him Best Short Film Director at the Grand Bell Award and the Jury Prize from the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival. Na Hongjin made a strong impression as his debut feature <The Chaser> (2008), as it was a tremendous success both critically and commercially. Not only did it top the Korean box office to become one of the most-watched Korean movies that year, its screening at the Cannes Film Festival a few months later was met with critical acclaim, with many reviews lauding it as an instant classic in Korean thriller. Starring Kim Yoonsuk and Ha Jungwoo, <The Chaser> swept nearly all the main awards in Korea later that year. His sophomore effort, <The Yellow Sea> (2010), about a Korean Chinese professional hitman, starred once again Kim Yoonsuk and Ha Jungwoo, but this time with Kim playing the ruthless killer. The film featured a larger and more layered narrative than <The Chaser> and was notable for being the first Korean movie to be funded in part by an American major, in this case 20th Century Fox. Although <The Yellow Sea> was not as commercially successful in Korea as his first film, the film was invited to the Un Certain Regard section of the 64th Cannes International Film Festival, where it was once again recognized for its artistic achievement. Na didn’t want to rush to release his much-anticipated third feature, but <THE WAILING> received universal acclaim upon its international premiere in Cannes, notably for its use of the horror genre to tell a story that blends shamanism and Christian faith. Produced by the Korean branch of 20th Century Fox, the film was released in many territories around the world and is now considered for a Hollywood remake. With only three feature-length films, Na Hong-jin has managed to become one of the most well-known Korean directors abroad. But Na decided to take up a new challenge, and so in early 2021, after years of being silent, he announced that he joined hands with famous Thai director Banjong Pisanthanakun, best known for the cult Asian horror <Shutter> (2004), to make a supernatural horror movie shot entirely in Thailand, with Na acting this time as a producer. <The Medium> (2021) premiered at the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival, where it picked up Best Picture.Less