Hong Sang-soo began his film career at Chung-Ang University in South Korea, before moving to the United States where he received his bachelor's degree from the California College of Arts and Crafts and his master's degree from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Hong made his official directorial debut at age 35 with The Day a Pig Fell into the Well in 1996. Praised by South Korean critics for its originality, the film received several awards domestically and internationally, including three for best new Director.
Notable among the awards Hong has received are the Prix Un Certain Regard at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival for Hahaha, the Silver Leopard Award for Best Director at the 2013 Locarno International Film Festival for Our Sunhi, and the top prize Golden Leopard at the 2015 Locarno International Film Festival for Right Now, Wrong Then.
