The graduation film from the Korean Academy of Film Arts (KAFA) won the first prize in the student short film category at the Cannes Film Festival, marking a first for Korean cinema. On the 23rd (Korean time), the Cannes Film Festival announced the winners of the 28th La Cinef at the Bunuel Theater. The first prize was awarded to director Heo Ga-young for her film “First Summer.”
“First Summer” is Heo’s graduation project from KAFA's 41st class. The story revolves around Yeong-soon (played by Heo Jin), who wants to attend the 49th-day ritual of her boyfriend Hak-su (played by Jung In-ki) instead of her granddaughter’s wedding.
La Cinef is a section dedicated to introducing short and mid-length films by students from film schools around the world and discovering the next generation of filmmakers. This is the first time that a Korean film has received the first prize in this category.
A total of 2,679 entries were submitted for this year’s La Cinef. From these, 16 student films were selected in the first round, and after a thorough judging process, the final four were chosen for the first to third prizes.
The winner of the La Cinef first prize receives a cash award of 15,000 euros (approximately 23.36 million won). The award-winning film will be screened on the 6th of next month at the Cinema du Pantheon.
<Photo = Captured from the Cannes Film Festival website>
