Korean film student wins at Cannes for second straight year

May 22, 2026, 09:12 am

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Jin Mi-song (far left) receives the second prize for “Silent Voices” at the La Cinef awards ceremony during the 79th Cannes Film Festival held at the Buñuel Theatre in Cannes, France, on May 21. /Courtesy of the Cannes Film Festival

A South Korean film student has earned recognition at the Cannes Film Festival’s La Cinef section for the second consecutive year, continuing the strong presence of emerging Korean filmmakers on the international stage.

According to the festival organizers on May 21, Jin Mi-song won the second prize in the La Cinef competition with her short film “Silent Voices” during an awards ceremony held at the Buñuel Theatre in Cannes.

The 17-minute short film portrays a Korean immigrant family living in New York, following parents and their two daughters as they conceal their individual emotional wounds throughout the course of a single day.

Jin graduated from Sungkyunkwan University and is currently pursuing a Master of Fine Arts degree in film production at Columbia University.

“This was a completely unexpected result, and I sincerely thank the jury for recognizing the authenticity of the film,” Jin said in her acceptance speech. “I would also like to share this joy with the actors, crew members and staff who worked on the project but could not join us in Cannes.”

Korean French actress Park Ji-min, who served as a member of the La Cinef jury, appeared on stage as a presenter and praised the film’s message.

“We have always believed that the personal cannot be separated from the political,” Park said. “This is a wonderful example of that belief.”

La Cinef is Cannes’ competitive section dedicated to student films from film schools around the world.

Last year, South Korean director Hur Ga-young won first prize in the same section with “First Summer.” This year, “Rhapsody of Birds,” an animated work by Choi Won-jung, a student at Hongik University, was also invited to the section alongside “Silent Voices.”

#Cannes Film Festival #La Cinef #Jin Mi-song #Silent Voices #Korean filmmakers