'Korea’s Answer to the Cannes'—Annecy Film Festival Enchants Korean Short Animation 'Dinner' Invited to Competition

'The Cannes of Animation'—Annecy Film Festival Showcases Korean Short Film 'Dinner'

A Korean short animation received recognition for outstanding artistry on the world’s most prestigious stage. On the 27th, Korea National University of Arts (K-Arts) announced that director Jeong Hae-ji’s animated film 'Dinner' has been officially invited to the 'Annecy International Animation Film Festival' Midnight Special short film competition category this year.

The invited work, 'Dinner', is a unique piece that portrays the complex process of a couple meeting and then parting by drawing an analogy to a course meal that flows from appetizer to main course to dessert. Director Jeong said, "It was planned to pour out complicated emotions amid the lethargy that comes after a breakup," adding, "This invitation arrived at a time when I was agonizing over whether to abandon my personal creative work and gave me a powerful impetus to continue creating again."

As a student currently enrolled in the Animation program at K-Arts’ School of Video and in the professional master’s track, Jeong already proved her international capabilities earlier when, in 2020, her short 'Sura' won the 'Jury Special Award' in the student competition division at the same festival—making the significance of this invitation even deeper.

Distinct Genre Color in the Midnight Section, Director Park Ji-yeon’s 'A Journey Through the Ear' Also Makes the Cut

Held every year in Annecy, a resort city in France’s southeast, the 'Annecy International Animation Film Festival' is the world’s largest event known as the 'Cannes Film Festival of Animation'. In particular, the 'Midnight Special Short Film Competition' category is a core section where masterful works with bold, unmistakable genre flavors—such as thrillers, horror, and fantasy—spar intensely for competition.

Also earning a place in the lineup is director Park Ji-yeon’s 'A Journey Through the Ear', further elevating the standing of Korean animation. The film is a surreal journey in which a woman living in a house floating through space sets out to find her lost right ear and her vanished husband, captured through careful, sensitive direction.

This year’s festival, where audiences can meet works by animation masters as well as up-and-coming creators from around the world in one place, is set to take place grandly from June 21 to June 27.