Ryu Seong-hie

One of her notable works was Little Women, for which she won the Technical Award for art direction at the 59th Baeksang Arts Awards.

She has also recently worked on two Netflix original series, namely Mask Girl and You Have Done Well.

During high school, Ryu Seong-hie found comfort in music and movies.

She want to apply to art college but discouragement from others made her doubt her ability.

However, watching David Lynch's The Elephant Man changed her perspective and strengthened her resolve to pursue art.

Ryu Seong-hie (Born November 13, 1968) is a South Korean film art director or production designer.

Ryu is best known for her works with directors including Bong Joon-ho's Memories of Murder, The Host, Mother, Kim Jee-woon's A Bittersweet Life, and Ryoo Seung-wan's No Blood No Tears, as well as Park Chan-wook's Oldboy, I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK, Thirst, The Handmaiden, and Decision to Leave.

Ryu also served as the production designer for films that achieved record-breaking success in the list of highest-grossing films in South Korea.

She enrolled in the Department of Ceramic Art at Hongik University in 1987 and pursued a master's degree in the Graduate School of Fine Arts, Department of Industrial Crafts starting in 1991.

Despite completing graduate studies in pottery and holding exhibitions, she realized that her true passion lay in storytelling and moving images rather than still sculptures.

Ryu's decision to study film in the United States in 1995 was driven by her realization that the concept of an art director was not recognized in Korean cinema at the time.

While preparing for the TOEFL exam with a friend, she was shown a pamphlet from the American Film Institute (AFI), which happened to be the alma mater of David Lynch.

Despite missing the application deadline, Ryu worked diligently to create a portfolio.

Fortunately, due to another student's resignation, a spot became available at AFI.

During her time at AFI, Ryu had the privilege of being mentored by Robert Boyle, the esteemed art director of Hitchcock films, including The Birds, North by Northwest, Marnie, Frenzy, and Shadow of a Doubt.

According to Boyle, an art director should fully embrace and understand the director's perspective, serving as a collaborator who effectively translates the director's vision into reality.

This requires a combination of craftsmanship, artistic sensibility, and design skills.

Ryu valued Boyle's guidance and carried it with her as she pursued her career as a production designer.

After completing her studies at AFI, Ryu Seong-hie initially had no plans to return to Korea.

She spent about a year and a half working in the American film industry, contributing to 20 short films and 3 feature films.

Collaborating on indie film projects with her friends brought her joy, while she heard discouraging rumors about the Korean film industry.

While working on a bar set for a western film, Ryu began questioning the purpose of working on projects that were not her own.

She started to contemplate whether making western film truly aligned with her calling in life and what kind of stories she should be telling.

This led her to rent Asian action films such as Lee Myung-se's Nowhere to Hide, Takeshi Kitano's Sonatine, Ronny Yu's The Bride with White Hair, and eventually, she watched Wong Kar-wai's Ashes of Time. In a particular scene where Lin Ching-hsia silently wielded a sword, Ryu was moved to tears.

She was struck by how Asian films portrayed strong, sword-wielding women, which were stark contrast to the often limited and passive roles given to women in western film.

Through this film, Ryu also discovered the work of William Chang Suk-ping, a production designer who later shared the Cannes Technical Grand Prize for In the Mood for Love with Christopher Doyle and Ping Bin Lee in 2000.

Ryu had a profound realization that understanding the cultural heritage of a film required more than just academic study—it demanded a dedicated commitment to infuse that essence into cinema.

Despite doubting her own talent, she made a firm decision to leave everything behind and return to Korea within a short span of two weeks.

While Korea's film industry was not as developed as that of the United States, she felt a strong desire to channel all her passion and energy into it.

After returning to South Korea, Ryu faced challenges in the unfamiliar working environment of Chungmuro, where job opportunities were limited.

She felt anxious about her future and regretted not studying cinematography.

In an attempt to establish herself in the film industry, she distributed self-made business cards.

However, as the role of an art director was not well-known at the time, she often encountered confusion and skepticism.

Notably, she worked on Yoon Je-kyoon's Ode to My Father (2014), which ranked 4th, Choi Dong-hoon's Assassination (2015), which ranked 8th, and Yang Woo-suk's The Attorney (2013) which ranked 16th.

Each film had sold more than ten million tickets.

In 2016, Ryu became the first Korean artist to win the Vulcain Prize for Technical Artistry at the 69th Cannes Film Festival for her work on The Handmaiden.

In June 2018, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) extended invitations to its new members.

Among the invitees were 14 individuals from the Korean film industry, comprising directors, actors, and professionals in various technical roles.

Ryu was among those who received an invitation.

Since 2022, Ryu also has been serving as a production designer for mini-series.