Huh Ga-young's 'First Summer' heads to Cannes
"First Summer," director Huh Ga-young's graduation film from the Korean Academy of Film Arts, has been selected for the Cinefondation section at the upcoming 78th Cannes Film Festival, the Korean Film Council said Wednesday.
The short film, which pairs veteran actor Heo Jin with Jung In-ki, follows an elderly woman who begins to chart a new path for herself after having dedicated her life solely to her family. In interviews with local media, Huh described the work as a tribute to her grandmother.
"First Summer" marks the second Korean work invited to this year's festival, following animator Jung Yu-mi's "Glasses," which will compete in the Critics' Week short film competition. A Korean feature film has yet to be included in the festival's lineup.
Cinefondation, now known as La Cinef, was founded in 1998 as a platform to spotlight emerging filmmaking talent from film schools worldwide. The competitive section selects 15-20 short and medium-length student films annually from over 1,000 submissions.
Korean films have maintained a presence in this section since 2001, when Kim Young-nam's "I Can Fly To You But You…" became the first Korean entry.
The country has produced several award winners ever since. Most recently, Hwang Hye-in's thriller "Hole" claimed second prize at the 76th festival in 2023. Yoon Dae-won's "Cicada," which follows a transgender sex worker during one transformative night, also claimed second prize in 2021.
Several Cinefondation alumni have made their marks in Korean commercial cinema. Cho Sung-hee, whose 2009 entry "Don't Step Out of the House" earned third place, went on to direct the smash-hit romance "A Werewolf Boy" (2012) and Netflix's sci-fi blockbuster "Space Sweepers" (2019). Park Young-ju, invited in 2016, recently directed the feature "A Citizen of a Kind" (2024) starring Ra Mi-ran.
The 78th Cannes Film Festival runs May 13 to May 24.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Korea Herald
14 hours ago
- Korea Herald
When light embraces classical music
New festival transforms the Theatre des Lumieres into a symphony for the senses A new classical festival running Aug. 8-24 at Theatre des Lumieres in Gwangjin-gu, eastern Seoul, invites audiences to immerse themselves in music and visuals alike. Led by soprano Hong Hye-ran as artistic director, Classic Weekends presents eight performances that marry live music with large-scale media art projections. The venue, located within the Walkerhill Hotel complex, is a 4,958-square-meter space with a 21-meter ceiling, equipped to project 360-degree visuals across its walls and ceilings floors. Originally designed for digital art exhibitions, the space has been adapted for concerts under the direction of Hong and Jeong Tae-yang, a pianist and the festival's music director. The opening weekend featured three performances by leading Korean classical musicians: a trio recital with violinist Lim Ji-young, pianist Son Jeong-beom and cellist Mun Tae-guk on Aug. 9; a vocal recital by bass-baritone Samuel Youn and countertenor Lee Dong-gyu; and Verdi's "La Traviata," which will be staged on Aug. 16, 22 and 24 as well. "La Traviata" will feature Hong as Violetta, tenor Son Ji-hoon — winner of the 2023 Tchaikovsky Competition — as Alfredo, and baritone Lee Dong-hwan as Germont alongside a seven-piece string ensemble, a pianist and a 15-member chorus. Projected visuals will replace traditional opera sets. The 'Going Home Project' with celebrated pianist Son Yeol-eum, violinist Svetlin Roussev and flutist Cho Sung-hyun will take place on Aug. 15. The festival will also present the 12-member Cellista Ensemble on Aug. 23. One of the festival's defining features is its 90-minute, no-intermission format, designed to sustain focus and immersion. 'Video projections will run on all sides of the theater for opera and instrumental performances alike, with visuals produced to match the program's content and mood," Jeong, who previously served as an opera coach with the Korea National Opera, said. 'The visuals will change depending on the atmosphere of the piece — in some performances, it may feel as though the audience were being transported to another place.' The organizers describe Classic Weekends as a way to broaden the audience experience by integrating visual and musical elements, while adding a new entry to Seoul's growing roster of summer classical festivals, which includes the Seoul Arts Center International Music Festival and Lotte Concert Hall's Classic Revolution. For Hong, the festival is as much a mission as a performance series. 'We talk about popularizing classical music, yet opportunities for performers keep shrinking,' she said. 'Here, the audience will feel as though they've stepped inside the work itself, expanding their senses in new ways.'
Korea Herald
15 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Claudia Kim to host BIFF closing ceremony
Marvel actress joins Lee Byung-hun as festival bookends for milestone edition The Busan International Film Festival has tapped actor Claudia Kim as solo host for its closing ceremony on Sept. 26, organizers announced Monday. Kim will present the inaugural Busan Awards to winners of the festival's new competitive section — marking BIFF's historic shift to competitive status after 29 years as a non-competitive event. Kim bookends the festival's 30th edition, whose opening ceremony will be hosted by actor Lee Byung-hun. The festival runs Sept. 17-26 at the Busan Cinema Center and venues across the city. The event will screen approximately 240 films, up from 224 last year. Known as Soo-hyun in Korea, Kim broke ground as the first Korean actor in a Marvel film with "Avengers: Age of Ultron" (2015). She's since built a dual-track career spanning Hollywood blockbusters — including "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald" (2018) and "The Dark Tower" (2017) — and Korean productions such as Netflix's "Gyeongseong Creature" (2023-2024) and "The Atypical Family" (2024). Her performance in the Disney+ film "A Normal Family" earned her best supporting actress at the 2025 Baeksang Arts Awards. The actor, 40, spent six years of her childhood in the United States and studied international relations at Ewha Womans University before pivoting to entertainment after winning a modeling competition in 2005. Festival organizers praised Kim's "elegant presence and depth on screen" as well as her command of English, noting her ability to bridge Korean and global cinema. Following Park Eun-bin's solo hosting debut in 2023, Kim will become the second woman to helm a ceremony alone at the festival.
Korea Herald
17 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Art, music and memory mark 80th anniversary of liberation
Marking the 80th anniversary of its liberation from Japanese colonial rule this Friday, South Korea is hosting a rich program of exhibitions, concerts, performances and participatory art projects nationwide. Ranging from celebrations of Korea's Olympic achievements and independence movements to explorations of memory, hope and national identity, these events offer audiences a chance to honor the past, engage with the present and envision the future through music, art, invention and storytelling. At the National Museum of Korea, the special exhibition 'The Radiant Strides, Moving the World' celebrates Korean athletes who inspired generations. The exhibition, which runs through Dec. 28, traces the journey from Sohn Kee-chung's groundbreaking 1936 Olympic victory to the symbolic torch relay at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Meanwhile, the 'Independence and Invention" exhibition -- held at the museum's annex until Aug. 31, organized with the Korean Intellectual Property Office -- explores the lives and innovations of five inventors who contributed to Korea's modernization. The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Deoksugung, presents 'Landscape of Homeland and Longing' from Aug. 14 to Nov. 9, a special exhibition of Korean modern art exploring the longing for homeland through the lens of division, displacement and resilience. The exhibition will feature more than 200 pieces -- spanning painting, photography, sculpture and drawing -- by 86 artists. At the National Folk Museum's Paju branch, the video exhibition 'The Reclaimed Light, the Enduring Song, Arirang' (July 15-Aug. 31) examines how Korea's most iconic folk song has evolved through times of resistance, reunion and healing. A series of performances will be held to mark the 80th Liberation Day. On Liberation Day, Aug. 15, the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra will present a concert marking both the anniversary of Korea's liberation and the orchestra's own 80th founding year in 1945. Conducted by Choi Soo-yeoul, the program honors the spirit of the independence movement and the values of freedom and peace. The concert opens with the Adagietto from Mahler's Symphony No. 5, a movement famed for its depth and lyricism, followed by Ravel's Piano Concerto in G Major, performed by pianist Kim Tae-hyung. Geomungo master Oh Kyung-ja will join for 'Surijae,' a geomungo concerto by Jeong Dae-seok that reimagines traditional Korean music in a contemporary orchestral setting. The finale features the third and fourth movements of Sibelius' Symphony No. 2. On the same day, a history musical gala show will take place at the outdoor plaza of the National Museum of Korea in Seoul. The concert brings together powerful scenes from historical musicals such as 'Baekbeom,' 'Watch' and 'Shinheung Military Academy,' all productions based on Korea's independence movement and the lives of independence activists such as Kim Koo, Yun Bong-gil and others. The National Gugak Center offers two special concerts. On Aug. 14 and 15, 'The Light We Sing,' an evocative performance weaving together themes of harmony, memory, hope and future through traditional Korean music, will take place. On Aug. 16, the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts will present '8.15 Seoul, My Soul' at Seoul Plaza in front of City Hall. The free outdoor gala, starting at 7 p.m., pairs timeless songs from 'Les Miserables' and stirring numbers from the Korean hit musical 'Hero,' featuring top musical theater actors such as Yang Jun-mo, celebrated for his portrayal of Ahn Jung-geun in 'Hero,' and Min Woo-hyuk, acclaimed for his role as Jean Valjean in 'Les Miserables.' On Aug. 20, 'Harmony,' a large-scale commemorative concert featuring both Korean traditional instruments and a Western orchestra, will be staged at the National Theater of Korea, highlighting the meaning of liberation through musical unity. From Aug. 9 to 17, the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture will host a citywide program of exhibitions, performances and participatory events marking the 80th Liberation Day. At Nodeul Island, SFAC has organized large-scale Taegeukgi installations, including a facade display of the historic 1919 'Jingwansa Taegeukgi,' 16 period flags, and a 40-meter installation made with 1,000 pinwheels. An indoor exhibition will showcase historical photographs and portraits of 80 female independence activists. On Aug. 14 and 15 at Theater Quad in the theater district of Daehangno in central Seoul, SFAC presents 'Train No. 37,' a sung-through musical created with Kazakhstan's National Academic Koryo Theatre, memorializing the 1937 forced migration of Koreans to Central Asia and the survival of the Korean language and culture in exile. Until Aug. 16, 'My Taegeukgi, Our Taegeukgi' will run at SFAC's five regional culture and arts education centers, where participants can design their own artistic Taegeukgi using DIY kits, encouraging reflection on the flag's symbolism and Liberation Day's meaning. The National Asia Culture Center (ACC) in Gwangju will commemorate the 80th Liberation Day with two programs honoring independence activist Park Yeol. On Aug. 15 at 3 p.m., Theater 2 will stage the musical 'Park Yeol,' based on the true story of Park and Kaneko Fumiko following the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake, blending traditional Korean arts with drama to portray their unwavering resistance under colonial rule. On Aug. 16 at 2 p.m., ACC's Theater 3 will screen Lee Joon-ik's award-winning 2017 film 'Anarchist from Colony,' starring Lee Je-hoon and Choi Hee-seo, which vividly depicts Park's courtroom defiance based on actual trial records.
