Heo Ga-young wins top student award at Cannes with ‘First Summer’

Korean director Heo Ga-young, 29, a graduate of the Korean Academy of Film Arts (KAFA), has won first prize in the student film competition at the 78th Cannes Film Festival. It is the first time a Korean film has taken the top honor in this category.

On Thursday, the festival’s organizers named 'First Summer,' Heo’s 30-minute short film, the winner of the “La Cinef” section during an awards ceremony held at the Buñuel Theatre in Cannes, France. La Cinef is a competitive section for short and medium-length films made by students from film schools around the world. This year’s edition received 2,679 submissions from 646 institutions.

First Summer tells the story of Yeong-sun, an elderly woman who attends her late boyfriend’s 49th-day memorial rather than her granddaughter’s wedding. The film was Heo’s graduation project as part of KAFA’s 41st class.

Previous Korean films 'Cicada' (2021) and 'Hole' (2023) placed second in the same category. 'First Summer' will be screened on June 6 at the historic Panthéon Cinema in Paris.


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