Megabox (CEO Hong Jeong-in, Nam Yong-seok), which is on a mission to discover well-made short films, has confirmed the exclusive release of director Hur Ga-young's short film 'First Summer', which won the first prize in the 'La Cinef' section at this year's Cannes Film Festival, and has unveiled the main poster.
'First Summer' is a short film directed by Hur Ga-young, a graduate of the 41st class of the Korean Academy of Film Arts (KAFA), depicting the story of Young-soon, who wants to attend her boyfriend Hak-soo's 49th ritual instead of her granddaughter's wedding. The narrative delicately unfolds Young-soon's journey of self-discovery amidst the conflict between her personal inner world and societal expectations, with notable performances from actress Heo Jin, who plays Young-soon.
Meanwhile, 'La Cinef' is a section that showcases short and medium-length works by film school students from around the world, and this year, only 16 out of a total of 2,679 submissions were invited.
This is the first time a Korean film has won the first prize in this section. Following this, 'First Summer' won the 'Light On Women's Worth Award' at the 5th L'Oréal Paris and has been invited to the 29th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival, receiving critical acclaim from both critics and audiences.
The released main poster of 'First Summer' captures attention with Young-soon dancing with a happy smile. It raises curiosity about the object of Young-soon's smile and creates anticipation for her narrative, symbolized by the dazzling lights and butterfly brooch.
Megabox will exclusively screen 'First Summer' at over 50 locations nationwide. Various events, including special screenings and merchandise giveaways, are planned to meet more audiences. The running time is 31 minutes, and the ticket price is 3,000 won.
Megabox is quickly presenting well-made short films that have been recognized for their artistic value. In June, it exclusively released director Jung Yu-mi's short animations 'Glasses' and 'Paranoid Kid', which were officially invited to the 78th Cannes Film Festival, in a continuous screening format.
Kim Joo-hong, head of the Megabox content planning team, stated, “We have confirmed the audience's desire to watch Hur Ga-young's 'First Summer', which has been recognized for its artistic value on the international stage,” and added, “To enhance the diversity and competitiveness of content that can be enjoyed in theaters, we will expand the curation of release films into the realm of short films.”
