Bong Joon-ho is a renowned South Korean filmmaker, recognized for his distinctive filmmaking style that often blends social themes, genre-mixing, dark humor, and unexpected tone shifts. His directorial debut, the black comedy Barking Dogs Never Bite, released in 2000, initially garnered him a cult following, and subsequent films solidified his reputation as a master of his craft.
Critically acclaimed and commercially successful films like Memories of Murder (2003),a crime thriller, The Host (2006),a monster film, Snowpiercer (2013),a science fiction action film, and Parasite (2019),a black comedy thriller, have not only made him a household name in South Korea but also globally. The latter, in particular, achieved unprecedented success, becoming the highest-grossing South Korean film in history and the first non-English language film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture.
All of Bong's films have been produced in South Korea, with the exception of Snowpiercer and Okja (2017),which feature predominantly English dialogue. Two of his films, Okja (2017) and Parasite (2019),have been screened at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival, with the latter earning the Palme d'Or, a historic first for a South Korean film. Additionally, Parasite became the first South Korean film to receive Academy Award nominations, with Bong taking home the awards for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay.
Bong's impressive body of work has earned him numerous accolades, including recognition on Metacritic's list of the 25 best film directors of the 21st century and inclusion in Time's annual list of 100 Most Influential People and Bloomberg 50.
