Na Hong-jin

Na Hong-jin (, born 20 July 1974) is a South Korean filmmaker. His films are characterized by the incorporation of violent thriller and horror elements.

Na's emergence in the film industry began with his feature film debut, The Chaser (2008), which achieved both critical and commercial success, ranking as the third-highest-grossing film in South Korea for its release year. His subsequent film, The Yellow Sea (2010), was presented in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival. The Wailing (2016) further contributed to Na's critical and commercial standing, earning accolades that included the Best Director award at the 37th Blue Dragon Film Awards and recognition at the Bucheon International Film Festival. Na's fourth film, Hope (2026), was screened at the main competition section of the 2026 Cannes Film Festival.

Early life Na Hong-jin was born on 20 July 1974 in Seoul, South Korea. He graduated from Hanyang University ERICA Campus Department of Crafts studying industrial arts and, at first, started in the advertisement industry, until he decided to pursue his dream as a filmmaker. He then enrolled in Korea National University of Arts.

Career Early work Na began making short films before he would go on to make his large feature films. Na's debut short film was titled 5 Minutes (2003). It was until his second short film, A Perfect Red Snapper Dish (2005), that Na started to gain recognition. Na won best film in The Extreme Nightmare section at the Mise-en-scène Short Film Festival. He would then go on to make his third short film, Sweat (2007) that would win the best short film director prize at the Grand Bell Awards and jury prize at the Bucheon International Film Festival awards.

Feature films

Na's debut feature film was titled The Chaser (2008), which was met with critical acclaim as well as commercial success. The Chaser became one of the most watched films in Korea, peaking at the third highest grossing film of 2008. The film was also screened at the Cannes Film Festival where reviewers hailed it as an "instant classic" in Korean thrillers. The film took home many awards such as the 16th Chunsa Film Art Awards for Best Director and Best Screenplay. The film was screened under the Un Certain Regard section at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival and received positive critical reviews on Metacritic.

Na's critically acclaimed third feature film, The Wailing (2016). The film encompasses a deep weave of many themes such as religion, perception, comedy, and horror. The Wailing succeeded commercially and critically, again winning Na many film wards such as Best Director at the 37th Blue Dragon Film Awards, Best of Bucheon award at the Bucheon international fantastic film festival, the top film of the year of the 36th Korean Association of Film Critics Awards, and many more. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and was shortly released onto streaming services.

His fourth feature film, Hope (2026), started production in 2023, and spend nearly three years in post-production. It had its world premiere at the main competition of the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, and is his first English-language feature.

In 2025, Na served as the president of the Competition jury at the 30th Busan International Film Festival.

Future projects Na claimed to have written many scripts during the COVID-19 pandemic. In an interview, Na summed up his working flow as, "Whenever I finish a film, I don't want to go anywhere near another one." These words have proved true by his slow release of films. Despite being in the film industry for over fifteen years, he only has three feature films to his name. 2010 The Yellow Sea 황해 2016 The Wailing 곡성 2026 Hope 호프 Only writer

Short film YearEnglish TitleOriginal TitleCredited as NotesDirectorScreenplayProducer 2004 River Side 고수부지 as cinematographer, editor, storyboard 2005 A Perfect Red Snapper Dish 완벽한 도미요리 also sound2007 Sweat 한(汗) also editor Carnival그날밤의 축제 Cameo (Food stall owner) 2023 Faith 페이스

Awards and nominations