[Photos] Young Korean Directors Who Lit Up Cannes…Jin Misong Wins Second Prize, Wonjeong Choi Makes New History

At the 79th Cannes International Film Festival, director 'Jin Misong' captured the second prize in the short film category of 'La Cinéf' (student films), showing an overwhelming presence on the global stage. The win is expected to be more than just an honor—it is poised to become a strong stepping stone toward his first feature-length directing. Speaking to reporters in Cannes, France, 'Jin Misong' said firmly that the Cannes festival invitation will allow him to create broader opportunities in the global film industry.

'Silent Voices', the award-winning work, is a standout that compresses the harsh realities of a four-member Korean family that chose immigration to the United States into a tightly packed 17-minute runtime. It dissects each person’s suppressed backstory with a careful and sharp eye—such as the father who left sick parents in Korea and the mother who gave up her dream of becoming an artist. Currently enrolled as a graduate student in the film program at Columbia University in the United States, 'Jin Misong' transformed the subtle gap and sense of defeat he felt as an outsider living in New York into the core motif of the piece, successfully drawing out a universal sense of empathy among people around the world.

'Jin Misong''s gaze is already aimed at the next destination. After finishing the graduate program, he plans to begin preparing his next work in South Korea, and intends to capture the deep pathos of his generation through the wandering of a woman in her 30s confronting raw society. With a clear recognition that his moves after the festival will be the real test, he is throwing himself into the next-work script work quickly and intensely.

A new milestone for Korean animation was also set. Director 'Wonjeong Choi' earned an official invitation to the 'La Cinéf' category at the Cannes International Film Festival with the animated film 'Birds Rhapsody', achieving a historic record as the first time a Korean animation has received an invitation. Director 'Wonjeong Choi' proved the limitless possibilities of animation—breaking through the constraints of reality with a creator’s imagination—and demonstrated his competitiveness on the global stage.

'Birds Rhapsody' is a work that brilliantly realizes, through striking color contrasts, the human blind pursuit of a bird that cannot be reached and the emptiness and freedom encountered at the end. With the Cannes Film Festival as a springboard, director 'Wonjeong Choi', who is planning feature-length animation directing, said he will continue his philosophical exploration that penetrates the essence of life.

The 79th Cannes International Film Festival’s 'La Cinéf' category was a historic stage where viewers confirmed the overwhelming prowess of young Korean directors. Director 'Jin Misong''s 'Silent Voices', which won the second prize, and director 'Wonjeong Choi''s 'Birds Rhapsody', the first Korean animation to receive an invitation, each left an indelible mark on the global film world with profound themes of human alienation and desire in distinct ways. Their achievements are a powerful indicator that proves the global competitiveness of Korea’s independent films and animation.