Director
Park Chan-wook
Born 23 August 1963 · Seoul, South Korea
Park Chan-wook is a South Korean director and former film critic, born in Seoul in 1963. He is known for stylish, darkly humorous thrillers and for the Vengeance Trilogy, including Oldboy. He is widely seen as a leading figure in modern Korean cinema and helped bring it to international audiences.
Key films
Joint Security Area (2000)
His breakthrough hit, a record-setting Korean box-office success that Park considers his true debut.
Oldboy (2003)
The second Vengeance Trilogy film, which made Park internationally famous and is often ranked among the great modern films.
Lady Vengeance (2005)
Concludes the Vengeance Trilogy with a stylised, morally complex tale of revenge.
The Handmaiden (2016)
A lavish period thriller of deception and desire that earned major international awards recognition.
Decision to Leave (2022)
A romantic mystery that won him Best Director at Cannes and confirmed his late-career mastery.
Key awards
- 2004 Cannes Film Festival Grand Prix (Oldboy)
- 2009 Cannes Film Festival Jury Prize (Thirst)
- 2017 BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language (The Handmaiden)
- 2022 Cannes Film Festival Best Director (Decision to Leave)
On Cinespective
Full filmography · 48
- 1992The Moon Is... the Sun's DreamDirector
- 1995MascaraActor
- 1997TrioDirector
- 1999JudgementDirector
- 2000Joint Security AreaDirector
- 2002Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance · as Bus Passenger (uncredited)Actor
- 2002Sympathy for Mr. VengeanceDirector
- 2003OldboyDirector
- 2003If You Were MeDirector
- 2003Never Ending Peace and LoveDirector
- 2004Three... ExtremesDirector
- 2004Katanas, yakuzas y cintas de video · as (archive footage)Actor
- 2004Autobiography of OldboyActor
- 2005Lady VengeanceDirector
- 2005The Nine Lives of Korean Cinema · as SelfActor
- 2005The Process of Mr. Vengeance · as SelfActor
- 2005The Making of Lady VengeanceActor
- 2006I'm a Cyborg, But That's OKDirector
- 2007Two Or Three Things I Know About Kim Ki-young · as SelfActor
- 2008Crush and Blush · as PasserbyActor
- 2009ThirstDirector
- 2010Making of ThirstActor
- 2010Through Korean Cinema · as SelfActor
- 2011Night FishingDirector
- 201160 Seconds of Solitude in Year ZeroDirector
- 2012Day TripDirector
- 2012Ari Ari the Korean Cinema · as SelfActor
- 2013StokerDirector
- 2013VDirector
- 2013Lee Jung Hyun: VDirector
- 2014A Rose RebornDirector
- 2014Snowpiercer: Transperceneige, From the Blank Page to the Black Screen · as SelfActor
- 2014Bitter, Sweet, SeoulDirector
- 2015Müdigkeitsgesellschaft: Byung-Chul Han in Seoul/Berlin · as SelfActor
- 2016The HandmaidenDirector
- 2016Old Days · as SelfActor
- 2017Decades ApartDirector
- 2017Plankton Salesmen · as Self (archive footage)Actor
- 2018Making of The HandmaidenActor
- 2022Decision to LeaveDirector
- 2022Kultur-King KoreaActor
- 2023I Haven’t Done Anything · as SelfActor
- 2025No Other ChoiceDirector
- 2025Han Kang Chronicles: A Tale of Seven Lives · as SelfActor
- 2026Mr. Kim Goes to the Cinema · as SelfActor
- 2026Nino – A Film About Nino Rota · as Self – DirectorActor
- 2026Cérémonie de palmarès du 79e Festival de Cannes · as SelfActor
- 2026The 23rd Annual Unforgettable AwardsActor
Filmography data from TMDB. The profile text is a draft written for Cinespective.