Bong Joon-ho facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
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Bong in June 2017
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| Born | September 14, 1969 Daegu, South Korea
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| Occupation | Filmmaker |
| Spouse(s) |
Jung Sun-young
(m. 1995) |
| Children | 1 |
| Relatives | Park Taewon (grandfather) |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul |
봉준호
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| Hanja |
奉俊昊
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| Revised Romanization | Bong Junho |
| McCune–Reischauer | Pong Chunho |
Bong Joon-ho (Hangul: 봉준호; born September 14, 1969) is a famous filmmaker from South Korea. He has won many important awards, including three Academy Awards. His movies often explore ideas about society and different social classes.
Bong's films are known for mixing different movie styles. They often include dark humor and sudden changes in mood. He first became well-known for his movie Barking Dogs Never Bite (2000). Later, he made other successful films like Memories of Murder (2003), The Host (2006), and Snowpiercer (2013). Snowpiercer was his first movie made in English.
His movie Parasite (2019) was a huge success. It became the highest-earning South Korean film ever. Parasite also made history at the Academy Awards. It was the first non-English film to win Best Picture. Bong himself won awards for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay for Parasite. In 2017, he was named one of the best film directors of the 21st century. In 2020, Time magazine included him in their list of the 100 Most Influential People.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Bong Joon-ho was born in Daegu, South Korea. He is the youngest of four children. His father, Bong Sang-gyun, was a graphic designer and art professor. His mother, Park So-young, was a homemaker. Bong's grandfather, Park Taewon, was a respected author. His older brother is an English professor, and his older sister teaches fashion. Bong's son, Bong Hyo-Min, is also a film director.
When Bong was in elementary school, his family moved to Seoul. In 1988, he started studying sociology at Yonsei University. During his college years, he was involved in student protests for democracy in South Korea. He also served two years in the military. After returning to college, he helped start a film club called "Yellow Door." There, he made his first short films. He graduated from Yonsei University in 1995.
In the early 1990s, Bong also studied at the Korean Academy of Film Arts. He made several short films there. His films Incoherence and Memories in My Frame were shown at international film festivals. He also worked on other films as a cinematographer and lighting technician. It was tough for him to earn a living in his early film career.
Filmmaking Career
After film school, Bong spent five years working on other directors' films. He helped write screenplays and worked as an assistant director.
First Films and Success
Bong directed his first feature film, Barking Dogs Never Bite, in 2000. It was a black comedy about a university lecturer and a dog. The movie didn't do well at first, but it later gained fans and won awards at film festivals.
His next film, Memories of Murder (2003), was a crime thriller. It was a big success in South Korea and helped save the production company from financial trouble. The film won many awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. It also received great reviews internationally.
Bong then made some short films. Influenza (2004) was filmed using real CCTV cameras. Sink & Rise (2003) was set by the Han River.
International Recognition
The Host (2006) was a much bigger movie for Bong. It was a monster film about a creature that comes out of the Han River in Seoul. The film used a lot of special effects. It was a huge hit in South Korea, breaking box office records. It was also sold to many countries around the world.
Bong also directed a part of Tokyo! (2008), a film with three different stories set in Tokyo. His segment was about a man who doesn't leave his home and falls in love with a pizza delivery girl.
His fourth feature film, Mother (2009), was about a mother trying to save her son from a murder charge. It was praised at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. The film appeared on many "best-of" lists in 2010.
In 2011, Bong was a judge at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. He also helped create a short film called Iki for an anthology project about the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan.
Working with Hollywood
Bong's first English-language film was Snowpiercer, released in 2013. It was based on a graphic novel and set on a futuristic train. People on the train are separated by their social status. The film was very popular and received excellent reviews. It was one of the highest-earning films in South Korea.
In 2015, Bong announced his next film, Okja. This movie premiered at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival. It caused some discussion because it was produced by Netflix. Despite some technical issues at its first screening, the film itself received positive reviews. It was released on Netflix in June 2017.
Parasite (2019)
In 2019, Bong directed Parasite. It's a black comedy thriller about a poor family who finds a way to work for a rich family. The film won the top prize, the Palme d'Or, at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival. It was the first Korean film to win this award.
Parasite was released in South Korea and the United States. It earned a lot of money and received amazing reviews from critics. Many praised Bong's skill in filmmaking. Bong said he wanted to show the worries and fears of real life through the movie.
Parasite won many awards during the 2019–2020 film season. Bong won the Hollywood Filmmaker Award and Best Director at the Critics' Choice Awards. The film won Best Foreign Language Film at the 77th Golden Globe Awards. The cast of Parasite also made history by winning the top acting award at the 26th Screen Actors Guild Awards.
At the 92nd Academy Awards, Parasite received six nominations and won four awards. It won Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best International Feature Film. This was a huge moment for international cinema. Bong thanked other directors like Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino for inspiring him. An HBO limited series based on Parasite is also being developed.
Future Projects
Bong has been working on new scripts since Parasite. One is an English-language drama based on a true event. The other is a Korean film with horror and action elements set in Seoul.
He is also planning a Korean animated film. This animation will be a drama about deep-sea creatures and humans. His next film will be Mickey 17, based on a novel. It will star Robert Pattinson and be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures.
Filmmaking Style
As a child, Bong was greatly influenced by the film Black Orpheus. In film school, he watched the Qatsi trilogy. He is also inspired by directors like Guillermo del Toro and Martin Scorsese. When working with actors, Bong gives them a lot of freedom. He believes acting is the actor's job.
Bong's films are known for their sudden changes in mood. They can switch between serious drama, dark moments, and funny humor, sometimes even in the same scene. He often uses real filming locations or specially built sets instead of green screens. For example, he filmed in Seoul's sewers for The Host.
Actor Ed Harris described Bong's filming process as "cutting while filming." This means Bong is very precise. He only shoots what he plans to use in the final movie. He doesn't film extra footage. This shows how carefully he plans his films.
In 2012, Bong shared his top ten favorite films. These movies had a big impact on his view of cinema:
- A City of Sadness (Taiwan, 1989)
- Cure (Japan, 1997)
- Fargo (US, 1996)
- The Housemaid (South Korea, 1960)
- Psycho (US, 1960)
- Raging Bull (US, 1980)
- Touch of Evil (US, 1958)
- Vengeance Is Mine (Japan, 1979)
- The Wages of Fear (France, 1953)
- Zodiac (US, 2007)
Personal Life
Bong Joon-ho married screenwriter Jung Sun-young in 1995. They have one son, Bong Hyo-min, who is also a filmmaker.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Distributor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | Korean | ||
| 2000 | Barking Dogs Never Bite | 플란다스의 개 | Cinema Service |
| 2003 | Memories of Murder | 살인의 추억 | CJ Entertainment |
| 2006 | The Host | 괴물 | Showbox |
| 2009 | Mother | 마더 | CJ Entertainment |
| 2013 | Snowpiercer | 설국열차 | |
| 2017 | Okja | 옥자 | Netflix |
| 2019 | Parasite | 기생충 | CJ Entertainment |
| 2025 | Mickey 17 | 미키17 | Warner Bros. Pictures |
Recurring Collaborators
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Work
Actor
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2000 | 2003 | 2006 | 2009 | 2013 | 2017 | 2019 | 2025 | TBA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Byun Hee-bong |
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| Kim Roi-ha | |||||||||
| Seong Jeong-seon | |||||||||
| Bae Doona | |||||||||
| Go Soo-hee | |||||||||
| Kim Jin-goo | |||||||||
| Kwon Byung-gil |
|||||||||
| Yu In-su | |||||||||
| Song Kang-ho | |||||||||
| Lee Dong-yong | |||||||||
| Choi Gyo-sik | |||||||||
| Jo Deok-jae | |||||||||
| Kwon Hyeok-poong | |||||||||
| Lee Jae-eung | |||||||||
| Park Hae-il | |||||||||
| Park Jin-woo | |||||||||
| Park No-shik | |||||||||
| Shin Hyun-jong | |||||||||
| Son Jin-hwan | |||||||||
| Yoo Seung-mok | |||||||||
| Jeon Mi-seon |
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| Jo Moon-eui | |||||||||
| Lee Dae-hyeon | |||||||||
| Lee Ok-joo | |||||||||
| Yoon Je-moon | |||||||||
| Min Kyung-jin | |||||||||
| Go Ah-sung | |||||||||
| Paul Lazar | |||||||||
| Park Jeong-gi | |||||||||
| Lee Jung-eun | |||||||||
| Tilda Swinton | |||||||||
| Steve Park | |||||||||
| Ahn Seong-bong | |||||||||
| Choi Woo-shik | |||||||||
| Andreas Fronk | |||||||||
| Park Keun-rok | |||||||||
| Daniel Henshall | |||||||||
| Steven Yeun |
Awards and Nominations
Images for kids
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Bong at the 25th Independent Spirit Awards on March 5, 2010
See also
In Spanish: Bong Joon-ho para niños
- Cinema of Korea
