Korean films have won top honors at every major international film festival — Cannes, Venice, Berlin, and the Academy Awards — turning what was once a niche cinema scene into one of the most decorated national film industries in the world. This archive gathers the Korean films and performances that won the biggest prizes at these festivals, organized chronologically, along with what each award actually recognized and why it mattered for Korean cinema's global rise.
Why This Archive Matters
Korean cinema's festival breakthroughs didn't happen overnight. Official festival records and archives show a steady build from the early 2000s — Im Kwon-taek's Best Director win at Cannes in 2002 — through to Bong Joon-ho's Palme d'Or and subsequent Oscar sweep for Parasite in 2019 and 2020. Tracking these wins in order shows how Korean directors moved from being festival curiosities to setting the standard other national cinemas are now measured against.
Korean Films That Won Major Festival Awards
Chihwaseon (2002) — Best Director, Cannes
Im Kwon-taek won Best Director at the 55th Cannes Film Festival for this biographical drama about 19th-century painter Jang Seung-up, marking one of the earliest major Cannes wins for a Korean director.
Oldboy (2004) — Grand Prix, Cannes
Park Chan-wook's revenge thriller took the Grand Prix, the festival's second-highest honor, at the 57th Cannes Film Festival. It remains one of the most internationally influential Korean films ever made, cited repeatedly as a reference point for the genre worldwide.
Secret Sunshine (2007) — Best Actress, Cannes
Jeon Do-yeon became the first Korean actor to win the Cannes Best Actress award for her role as a grieving widow in Lee Chang-dong's drama, at the 60th Cannes Film Festival.
Thirst (2009) — Jury Prize, Cannes
Park Chan-wook's vampire-priest drama earned the Jury Prize at the 62nd Cannes Film Festival, his third major Cannes honor after Oldboy.
Poetry (2010) — Best Screenplay, Cannes
Lee Chang-dong won Best Screenplay at the 63rd Cannes Film Festival for this drama about a grandmother turning to poetry amid a family crisis, written and directed entirely by Lee himself.
Pieta (2012) — Golden Lion, Venice
Kim Ki-duk's Pieta won the Golden Lion, the top prize at the Venice Film Festival, becoming the first Korean film to win the top award at any of Europe's three major festivals (Cannes, Venice, or Berlin).
The Handmaiden (2016) — BAFTA Best Film Not in the English Language
Park Chan-wook's erotic thriller, adapted from Sarah Waters' novel Fingersmith, won the BAFTA award for Best Film Not in the English Language in 2018, extending its festival-circuit acclaim well past its original Cannes premiere.
Parasite (2019) — Palme d'Or, Cannes + Four Academy Awards
Bong Joon-ho's class-satire thriller became the first Korean film to win the Palme d'Or at the 72nd Cannes Film Festival. It went on to win four Oscars at the 92nd Academy Awards in 2020, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best International Feature Film — the first non-English-language film ever to win Best Picture.
Decision to Leave (2022) — Best Director, Cannes
Park Chan-wook won Best Director at the 75th Cannes Film Festival for this romantic mystery, his fourth major Cannes honor across two decades.
Broker (2022) — Best Actor, Cannes
Song Kang-ho won Best Actor at the 75th Cannes Film Festival for his role in Broker, a Korean-language film directed by Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda and produced with Korean studio backing.
Comparison Table
| Film | Year | Festival | Award | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chihwaseon | 2002 | Cannes | Best Director | Im Kwon-taek |
| Oldboy | 2004 | Cannes | Grand Prix | Park Chan-wook |
| Secret Sunshine | 2007 | Cannes | Best Actress (Jeon Do-yeon) | Lee Chang-dong |
| Thirst | 2009 | Cannes | Jury Prize | Park Chan-wook |
| Poetry | 2010 | Cannes | Best Screenplay | Lee Chang-dong |
| Pieta | 2012 | Venice | Golden Lion | Kim Ki-duk |
| The Handmaiden | 2016 / 2018 | BAFTA | Best Film Not in English | Park Chan-wook |
| Parasite | 2019 / 2020 | Cannes / Oscars | Palme d'Or + 4 Academy Awards | Bong Joon-ho |
| Decision to Leave | 2022 | Cannes | Best Director | Park Chan-wook |
| Broker | 2022 | Cannes | Best Actor (Song Kang-ho) | Hirokazu Kore-eda |
The Directors Behind the Wins
A handful of names appear repeatedly on this list. Park Chan-wook alone accounts for four major Cannes honors across Oldboy, Thirst, and Decision to Leave, spanning nearly two decades of festival recognition. Lee Chang-dong has won two, both for original screenplays he wrote himself. Bong Joon-ho's Parasite remains the outlier in scale, since it's the only Korean film so far to combine a Palme d'Or with a Best Picture Oscar, a feat no other film in either festival's history had achieved before it. Official archives from the Festival de Cannes track this history in more detail.
FAQ
Which Korean film won the most prestigious festival award?
Parasite (2019) holds that distinction, since it's the only Korean film to win Cannes' Palme d'Or and later go on to win the Academy Award for Best Picture.
Which Korean director has won the most major festival awards?
Park Chan-wook has the most Cannes recognitions among Korean directors, with honors for Oldboy, Thirst, and Decision to Leave.
Has a Korean film won at the Venice Film Festival?
Yes. Kim Ki-duk's Pieta won the Golden Lion, Venice's top prize, in 2012, making it the first Korean film to win the top award at Cannes, Venice, or Berlin.
Is Broker considered a Korean film despite its Japanese director?
It's generally classified as a Korean production, since it was shot in Korean, set in Korea, produced with Korean studio backing, and starred a primarily Korean cast, even though it was directed by Japan's Hirokazu Kore-eda.