Na Hong-jin (, born 1974) is a South Korean film director, Film producer and screenwriter. His filmography is characterized by the incorporation of violent thriller and horror elements.
Early life
Na Hong-jin 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 film maker. He then enrolled in Korea National University of Arts.
Career
Na has been active in the film industry since 2007.
Early directing 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 that Na started to gain recognition with the release of his short film
A Perfect Red Snapper Dish (2005). 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 Yellow Sea was released and entailed a more ambitious vision from Na. The Yellow Sea became the first Korean film to ever have a Hollywood studio collaboration, with the 20th Century Fox studio. Na's second film achieved positive reviews but “lacking” compared to The Chaser.
Na's critically acclaimed third feature film, The Wailing. The film encompasses a deep weave of many themes such as religion, perception, comedy, and horror.
Other projects
Na teamed up with Thai director Banjong Pisanthanakun, most known for the films
Shutter (2004) and
Alone (2007). Na acted as the producer and screenwriter for Pisanthanakun's
The Medium, a
supernatural Horror film mockumentary. The film premiered at the 25th Bucheon international fantastic film festival on 11 July 2021.
When writing the story, Na explained in an interview that
The Medium was initially a sequel to
The Wailing with Hwang Jung-min's
shaman character. However, this rendition did not come to light. As quoted by Na himself, “
The Medium has no relation to
The Wailing.”
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.
In March 2023, it was announced that his next project,
Hope, will be released in 2024.
Filmography
Feature film
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| 2008 | The Chaser | 추격자 | | | | |
| 2010 | The Yellow Sea | 황해 | | | | |
| 2016 | The Wailing | 곡성 | | | | |
| 2021 | The Medium | ร่างทรง | | | | |
| | Hope | 호프 | | | | |
Short film
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| 2003 | 5 Minutes | 5 미니츠 | | | | |
| 2004 | River Side | 고수부지 | | | | as cinematographer, editor, storyboard |
| 2005 | A Perfect Red Snapper Dish | 완벽한 도미요리 | | | | also sound |
| 2007 | Sweat | 한(汗) | | | | also editor |
| Carnival | 그날밤의 축제 | | | | Cameo (Food stall owner) |
| 2023 | Faith | 페이스 | | | | |
Awards and nominations
| 2005
! scope="row" | The 6th Korea Video Contest | Encouragement Award | | |
| 2005
! scope="row" | The 4th Mise-en-scène Short Film Festival | Absolute Nightmare Best Film Award | | |
| 2007
! scope="row" | 11th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival | Jury Prize | | |
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| 2008
! scope="row" | Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival | New Visions Award (New Director) | Han | | |
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| 2009
! scope="row" | 3rd Asian Film Awards | | |
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| ! rowspan="2" scope="row"48th Grand Bell Awards
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| 2016 | 25th Buil Film Awards | Best Film | The Wailing | | |
| Best Director | |
| 37th Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best Film | | |
| Best Director | |
| Best Screenplay | |
| Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival | Audience Award | | |
| Best of Bucheon Award | |
| 16th Director's Cut Awards | Best Director | | |
| Fantasia International Film Festival | Prix AQCC | | |
| Audience Award for Best Asian Feature | |
| 53rd Grand Bell Awards | Best Film | | |
| Best Director | |
| 36th Korean Association of Film Critics Awards | Top Films of the Year | | |
| Korean Film Actor's Association Awards | Top Director Award | | |
| Korean Film Producers Association Awards | Best Director | | |
| Phoenix Critics Circle | Best International Film | | |
| Sitges Film Festival | Focus Asia Award | | |
| BloodGuts UK Horror Awards | Best International Film | | |
| Best Director | |
| Molins de Rei Horror Film Festival | Best Film | | |
| Saskatoon Fantastic Film Festival | Honourable Mention | | |
| | Politiken's Audience Award | | |
| 2017 | 11th Asian Film Awards | Best Film | | |
| Best Director | |
| Central Ohio Film Critics Association Awards | Best Foreign Language Film | | |
| 8th KOFRA Film Awards | Best Film | | |
| Best Director | |
| Seattle Film Critics Awards | Best Foreign Language Film | | |
| Korea Cable TV Awards | Cable VOD Grand Prize (Film) | | |
| Fangoria Chainsaw Awards | Best Foreign-Language Film | | |
| 53rd Baeksang Arts Awards | Best Film | | |
| Best Director | |
| Best Screenplay | |
| 22nd Chunsa Film Awards | Best Director | | |
| Best Screenplay | |
| Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films | Best DVD/Blu-Ray Release | | |
| iHorror Awards | Best Foreign Horror | | |
| 2021 | Bucheon Choice Features | Best Film | The Medium | | |
| Maniatic Fantastic Film Festival | | |
| San Sebastian Horror and Fantasy Film Week | | |
Notes
External links
