Korean cinema has been booming with talented filmmakers, and the contributions of women directors have been remarkable. They have brought unique perspectives, and storytelling techniques, and represented various genres. So, let’s explore some of the directors who have made a significant impact on the industry.
1. Bang Eun-jin
Bang Eun-jin is a South Korean actress, screenwriter, and film director. She was born on 5 August 1965. Director Bang made her debut with the film "Princess Aurora" in 2005. She has since directed several other films such as "Perfect Number" (2012), "Way Back Home" (2013), "Method" (2017), "Blue Birds on the Desk", "Puff the Rice", and many more. Apart from directing, she has also acted in several films and television series. She has won many awards throughout her career, including the 2006 Golden Cinematography Awards for Best New Director, the 2005 Women in Film Korea Awards for Woman Filmmaker of the Year, the 2005 Korean Association of Film Critics Awards for Best New Director, and many others.
2. Boo Ji-young
Boo Ji-young is a renowned director and scriptwriter from South Korea. She was born on September 16th, 1971. Boo started her career as an independent filmmaker and released her first film, "Sisters on the Road," in 2008. Her most well-known work is the film "Cart," which was showcased at various international film festivals. In 2012, Boo created a unique omnibus documentary called "Myselves: The Actress No Makeup Project." Apart from this, she has also worked on numerous omnibus film projects, including the human rights project "If You Were Me 5" in 2010 and the Jeonju International Film Festival's "Short! Short! Short!" in 2011.
3. Go Min-si
Go Min-si is a South Korean actress and director. She was born on 15 February 1995. She made her debut as a director in 2016 through the film Parallel Novel. She not only directed but also co-starred in this film. For this film, she won the Grand Prize during the Three Minute Film Festival. She is not only a famous director but also a prominent and famous actress. She is known for her acting skills in movies like Love Alarm, Sweet Home, Youth of May, and many more.
4. July Jung
July Jung is a renowned film director and screenwriter from South Korea. She was born in 1980. In 2014, she made her directorial debut with the movie "A Girl at My Door," which garnered critical acclaim and won numerous awards, including the Best New Director Award at the Baeksang Arts Awards and the Best Screenplay Award at the Wildflower Film Awards. Additionally, she won the Best New Director Award at the 23rd Buil Film Awards and the Best Director/Screenwriter Award at the 15th Women in Film Korea Awards in 2014.
5. Byun Young-joo
Byun Young-joo is a prominent film director from South Korea. She was born on December 20th, 1966. Her films primarily deal with important issues related to women's and human rights. In 1989, she co-founded "Bariteo," a feminist film collective, and is one of its founding members. Ardor (2002) is her debut feature film, which is an adaptation of Jeon Gyeong-rin's Korean novel "A Special Day That Comes Only Once in My Life," and is an erotic drama.
6. Hong Eui-jeong
Hong Eui-jeong is a film director, screenwriter, and producer from South Korea. She was born in 1982. In 2016, Hong wrote and directed a sci-fi short film titled "Better Than Tomorrow". Her feature debut "Voice of Silence" was released in 2020. For these films, she has received numerous awards, including Best New Director at the 41st Blue Dragon Film Awards, Best Director at the 57th Baeksang Arts Awards, Buil Film Awards, and Korean Association of Film Critics Awards, as well as Best Director at the Baeksang Arts Awards.
7. Sharon Choi
Sharon Choi is a South Korean interpreter and film director. She was born in 1994. She is 29 years old. She directed Self Portrait, a short film that was screened at CAAMFest in 2019. She co-produced the 2020 short film Mother of Three, directed by Han Jun-hee. In 2021, Choi served as a dialect coach for actress Greta Lee on the 2023 film Past Lives, directed by Celine Song.
8. Jeong Jae-eun
Jeong Jae-eun is a renowned South Korean film director who was born in 1969. She began her career by directing several short films before releasing her first feature film, Take Care of My Cat, in 2001. Her most famous film is Yu-jin's Secret Codes, for which she won the Grand Prix at the KNUA Graduation Film Festival and the Women's Film Festival in Seoul in 1999.
9. Celine Song
Celine Song is a Korean-Canadian director, playwright, and screenwriter based in the United States. She was born in 1998. She debuted as a director of the film Past Lives. This film also got nominated for several accolades including Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay at the 96th Academy Awards. In November 2020, Song directed a live production of Chekhov's The Seagull using The Sims 4 on Twitch for New York Theatre Workshop, called The Seagull on The Sims 4.
10. Cho Sung-hyung
Cho Sung-hyung is a German filmmaker, director, editor, and professor who currently resides in Germany but has roots in South Korea. She was born on June 26, 1966. Cho began her career as an assistant editor for the German television series "Ein Fall für zwei", and also worked on documentaries and music videos. In 2016, she directed and starred in the documentary "Meine Brüder und Schwestern in Korea", which had international titles such as "Meine Brüder und Schwestern im Norden" and "My Brothers and Sisters in the North".
This documentary made her the first South Korean director to be allowed to visit North Korea after the Korean War. Cho has won several awards including the Schleswig-Holstein Film Award and the Hessian Film Award for her work on the documentary "Full Metal Village". She has also been the recipient of the Max Ophüls Award, which she won for directing the first-ever documentary that received this prestigious award.
