Bong Joon-ho

Every entry, with its source

At 0

1. Sep 14, 1969

   Born in Daegu, South Korea

   His maternal grandfather was the novelist Park Tae-won.

   Source: en.wikipedia.org

At 18

1. c. 1988

   Enters Yonsei University to study sociology

   He starts making shorts in a film club called Yellow Door.

   Source: en.wikipedia.org

At 25

1. c. 1995

   Graduates from the Korean Academy of Film Arts

   His thesis short, Incoherence, is invited to festivals in Vancouver and Hong Kong.

   Source: en.wikipedia.org

At 30

1. Feb 19, 2000

   Feature debut, Barking Dogs Never Bite

   It flops at the box office but draws notice at festivals abroad.

   Source: en.wikipedia.org

At 33

1. Apr 25, 2003

   Memories of Murder opens

   Five million tickets. The film that made his name as a director.

   Source: en.wikipedia.org

At 36

1. Jul 27, 2006

   The Host sets a Korean box-office record

   13 million admissions. Invited to Directors' Fortnight at Cannes.

   Source: en.wikipedia.org

At 39

1. May 28, 2009

   Mother opens

   Invited to Un Certain Regard at Cannes.

   Source: en.wikipedia.org

At 43

1. Aug 1, 2013

   Snowpiercer, his first English-language film

   He fights an overseas distributor over final cut and keeps his own version in theaters.

   Source: en.wikipedia.org

At 47

1. May 19, 2017

   Okja, a Netflix film, screens in competition at Cannes

   It sets off an argument about streaming films in theaters.

   Source: en.wikipedia.org

At 49

1. May 25, 2019

   Parasite wins the Palme d'Or at Cannes

   A first for a Korean film.

   Source: en.wikipedia.org

At 50

1. Feb 9, 2020

   Four Oscars: picture, director, screenplay, international

   The first non-English Best Picture winner, 20 years after his debut feature.

   Source: en.wikipedia.org

At 55

1. Feb 28, 2025

   Mickey 17 opens

   His first film in the six years since Parasite, sci-fi at Hollywood blockbuster scale.

   Source: en.wikipedia.org