Kogonada

Biography

Kogonada is a South Korean–born American filmmaker, critic, and visual essayist who has won recognition for both his deep thinking and his craft. Raised in Seoul before emigrating to the U.S. as a child, he grew up in the Midwest, where questions of identity, absence, and architecture shaped his perspective. He first drew attention for video essays that analyze film form, style, and the visual signatures of directors like Ozu, Wes Anderson, and Malick. Those essays led to his feature directorial debut, Columbus (2017), a film that interweaves architecture and emotion, followed by After Yang (2021), a science-fiction-tinged drama exploring family, memory, and loss. He has also directed television, including episodes of Pachinko and The Acolyte. His chosen name, Kogonada, is a tribute to Kogo Noda, a frequent collaborator of filmmaker Yasujirō Ozu. His work is noted for its quiet precision, its embrace of visual space and stillness, and its emotional resonance — films that linger with you long after the credits roll.