In Conversation With... Park Chan-wook

Director Park Chan-wook’s blend of striking visuals and masterful tension has cemented his status as one of contemporary cinema’s most influential auteurs. His elegant, genre-defying storytelling has consistently challenged cinematic conventions while exploring themes of obsession, morality, and the human psyche. Director Park returns to TIFF to discuss his latest film, No Other Choice, and to reflect on his acclaimed body of work, including Joint Security Area (2000); the Vengeance Trilogy: Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (TIFF ’02), Oldboy (TIFF ’04), and Sympathy for Lady Vengeance (TIFF ’05); The Handmaiden (TIFF ’16); and Decision to Leave (TIFF ’22), which won the Best Director prize at Cannes and was South Korea’s official Oscar entry. Beyond film, he has also made a name for himself in television, directing the Emmy Award–winning limited series The Little Drummer Girl (2018), starring Florence Pugh, and HBO’s The Sympathizer (2024), on which he and Canadian filmmaker Don McKellar served as co-showrunners. Join us for a rare opportunity to hear Park Chan-wook, in conversation with Don McKellar, about the evolution of his craft, his impactful career, and the making of No Other Choice — a film co-written with McKellar, and an essential new addition to one of the most celebrated filmographies of the 21st century.