Photo: Gabriel Hutchinson / CC BY-SA 4.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Na Hong-jin is one of those directors who makes you question your own sanity in the best possible way — his films don't just unsettle you, they burrow under your skin and stay there for days. The Chaser announced him as a major force in Korean cinema back in 2008, a raw, relentless thriller that felt like it was sprinting straight at you from frame one. The Yellow Sea doubled down on that intensity, and then The Wailing arrived in 2016 and genuinely broke my brain — equal parts folk horror, grief, and cosmic dread, with no tidy resolution because life doesn't offer one. That Sitges Best Director win in 2011 feels almost understated for a filmmaker this singular. He's meticulous, slow between projects, and clearly not interested in compromising his vision for anyone. Every film feels like a personal reckoning.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Na Hong-jin
- Name (Japanese)
- ナ・ホンジン
- Reading
- な・ほんじん
- Born
- January 1, 1974 (age 52)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Capricorn / Tiger
- Origin
- Seoul, South Korea
- Occupation
- film director / screenwriter / film producer / director
2. Background
- University
- Hanyang University
Awards & achievements
- 2011 Sitges Film Festival Best Director award
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Na Hong-jin born?
Born January 1, 1974 (age 52).
Where is Na Hong-jin from?
Na Hong-jin is from Seoul, South Korea.
What does Na Hong-jin do?
Na Hong-jin works as film director, screenwriter, film producer, director.
Film director — see all → · Screenwriter — see all → · More people from South Korea →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.