Director Heo Ga-young, a graduate of the Korean Academy of Film Arts (KAFA), has made history by becoming the first Korean filmmaker to win first place in the student film category at the 78th Cannes Film Festival.

At the awards ceremony for the “La Cinef” section held on May 22 (local time) at the Buñuel Theatre in Cannes, France, Heo’s short film 'Early Summer' was named the winner of the top prize in the La Cinef category. Formerly known as the Cinéfondation, La Cinef is a competitive section dedicated to medium- and short-length works produced by students from film schools around the world. This marks the first time a Korean film has claimed the top honor in this section.

'Early Summer' is a 30-minute short film that quietly depicts the choice of Yeong-soon, an elderly woman who prefers to attend the 49th-day memorial for her late partner Hak-soo rather than her granddaughter’s wedding. Created as a graduation project by KAFA’s 41st class, the film was selected from a pool of 2,679 entries submitted by 646 film schools worldwide.

Korean films have maintained a steady presence in the La Cinef section since 2001, when director Kim Young-nam’s 'I Can Fly To You But You...' was first invited. In recent years, director Yoon Dae-woon's 'Cicada' (2021) and Hwang Hye-in’s 'Hole' (2023) each earned second-place honors. However, Heo’s win is the first time a Korean film has taken the top prize.

The Cannes Film Festival has awarded Heo a prize of €15,000 (approximately KRW 23 million). 'Early Summer' is scheduled to be screened at the independent cinema Panthéon in Paris on June 6.

 

Photo=Official Cannes Film Festival Website