Born in 1963 in Jeonju, South Korea, Hur Jin-ho graduated from the Korean Academy of Film Arts and began his career with the short For Kochal, which screened at the Vancouver International Film Festival. He co-wrote A Single Spark and Kilimanjaro before making his acclaimed feature debut with Christmas in August (1998), which won five international awards, including Best Film and Best New Director at the Blue Dragon Awards, and was invited to Cannes Critics’ Week. His films—including One Fine Spring Day (2001), April Snow (2005), Once Again in Spring (2007), Good Rain Knows (2009), and the recent Happiness—explore his enduring theme of love, with Happiness earning him Best Director at the Blue Dragon Awards and further cementing his status as a leading figure in Korean cinema.