Chun Tae-il Won the Contrechamp Jury Distinction, Persona Won the Cristal for a Graduation Film

At the 46th Annecy International Animation Film Festival in France, which is called the ‘Cannes Film Festival in the animation world,’ Korean animations won 2 awards. Director Hong Junpyo’s Chun Tae-il won the Contrechamp Jury Distinction, while Director Moon Sujin’s short film Persona won the Cristal for a Graduation Film. ‘Contrechamp’ is a section that examines unique and challenging features, which was newly established in 2019. 

Chun Tae-il is a work that has been reborn as an animation that anyone can easily empathize with the story of Chun Tae-il, a representative figure in the history of the Korean labor movement. Actors Jang Dongyun, Yeom Hyeran, Jin Seonkyu, Kwon Haehyo, and Park Cheolmin participated in the film as the voice actors. The distributor, Myung Films, said, “Even though the audience heard about the activist Chun Tae-il’s story for the first time while watching Chun Tae-il at the Annecy Film Festival, they empathized with it and shed tears, giving a long round of applause until the ending credit was over.” Chun Tae-il will meet with audiences around the world once again since it has been invited to the animation competition section of the 26th Fantasia International Film Festival, which will open on July 14. 

Persona is Director Moon Sujin’s graduation work from the Korea National University of Arts, expressing the fear we feel in the process of an ego being encroached on by the persona. Persona attracted attention as it became the first Korean animation to enter the short competition category at the 75th Festival de Cannes in May. Starting with Cannes, Persona gained popularity when it entered the Animafest Zagreb Competition and the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, establishing a solid foothold around the world. Persona will also be screened at the 26th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival, which will open on July 7. 

Director Lee Sunggang’s My Beautiful Girl, Mari won the Grand Prix for Best Feature Film in 2002, and it was the first time that Korean animation won an award at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival. Since then, lots of Korean animations have won a variety of awards there, including Director Sung Baekyeop’s Oseam (The Crystal for Best Feature) in 2004, Director Choi Hyunmyung’s Walking in the Rainy Day (Special Jury Award for a Graduation Film) in 2006, Director Jeong Dahee’s Man on the Chair (Cristal for a Short Film) in 2014, and Director Ahn Jaehuun’s The Shaman Sorceress (Contrechamp Jury Distinction) in 2020, Director Jeong Haeji’s Sura (Jury Distinction for a Graduation Film) in 2020, etc.