A Korean short film is heading to the upcoming Cannes International Film Festival.

Director Moon Byoung-gon’s short “Safe” has been included in the lineup of the competition of short films, to vie with eight other filmmakers from around the globe for the prize. More than 3,500 entries were submitted by filmmakers in 132 countries for the section. 

The 29-year-old studied film at Chung-Ang University in Seoul, and has directed two shorts ― “No More Coffee Break” (2008) and “Finis Operis” (2011). The fantasy short “Finis Operis” ― a portrait of an aging man living a secluded life ― was featured at Cannes in its International Critics’ Section in 2011.

Meanwhile, another Korean short, “The Line” by Kim Soo-jin, has been invited to the festival’s Conefondation ― a competition section created in 1998 to inspire and support the next generation of international filmmakers. Director Jo Sung-hee, who enjoyed much success with his first commercial film “A Werewolf Boy” last year, received a prize from the section at Cannes for his film school graduation project “Don’t Step Out of the House” in 2009.

This year’s Cannes International Film Festival runs from May 15 to 26.

By Claire Lee (dyc@heraldcorp.com)