Heo Ga-young's 'First Summer' wins top honor at Cannes' La Cinef

KAFA graduate becomes first Korean filmmaker to win La Cinef's top prize

Heo Ga-young (second from right) poses with La Cinef winners at Cannes' Bunuel Theatre on Thursday. (Festival de Cannes)

Heo Ga-young's graduation short "First Summer" won first prize at La Cinef at the 78th Cannes Film Festival, becoming the first Korean film to receive the top honor, festival organizers announced Thursday.

The Korean Academy of Film Arts graduate beat 15 other student films selected from nearly 2,700 entries worldwide. Her 30-minute work pairs veteran actor Heo Jin with Jung In-ki in a story about an older woman charting new territory after years devoted to her family.

Jury president Maren Ade presented the 15,000 euro ($17,000) first prize during Thursday's ceremony at Bunuel Theatre in Cannes. Beijing Film Academy's Qu Zhizheng took second for "12 Moments Before the Flag-Raising Ceremony," while Japan's Miki Tanaka and Estonia's Natalia Mirzoyan shared third.

The winning films screen at Paris's Cinema du Pantheon on June 6.

The film marks Korea's second selection this year alongside animator Jung Yu-mi's "Glasses" in Critics' Week. No Korean feature film made it into the festival's lineup this year.

La Cinef, formerly Cinefondation, serves as the festival's dedicated platform for student films. It selects 15-20 short and medium-length films annually from film schools around the world.

Korean entries have appeared regularly since 2001, with several securing runner-up and third-place positions. Most recently, Hwang Hye-in's thriller "Hole" won second prize in 2023. Yoon Dae-won's "Cicada" also took second place in 2021.