Animated short picked for student film sidebar at 79th edition

La Cinef (Cannes Film Festival)
La Cinef (Cannes Film Festival)

Student filmmaker Choi Won-jung's short "Bird Rhapsody" has been selected for La Cinef, the student film sidebar of the 79th Cannes Film Festival, organizers announced Tuesday.

Choi made the six-minute animation as a student at Seoul's Hongik University, which is among two schools receiving their first La Cinef invitation this year.

The film was one of 19 titles chosen from 2,750 submissions sent in by film schools worldwide. Prizes will be handed out on May 21 at the Bunuel Theatre inside the Palais des Festivals, followed by a screening of the winning films.

La Cinef, known as Cinefondation until it was renamed in 2022, was set up in 1998 to spotlight new filmmaking talent from film schools around the world.

Korean entries have appeared in the section since 2001. Last year, Heo Ga-young's "First Summer," the director's graduation short from the Korean Academy of Film Arts, became the first Korean film to take the top prize at La Cinef.

Earlier winners include Hwang Hye-in's "Hole," which took second prize in 2023, and Yoon Dae-won's "Cicada," also a runner-up in 2021.

The 79th Cannes Film Festival runs May 12-23 in the southern French resort town, with Park Chan-wook heading the main competition jury.


moonkihoon@heraldcorp.com