'Tael-i' and 'Gakjil' Win Awards at Annecy International Animation Film Festival

Each Awarded with the Jury Special Prize and the Crystal Award

Director Hong Jun-pyo's "Taeil" and director Moon Su-jin's "Gakjil" received honors at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival. According to the festival's website on the 21st (Korean time), they were awarded the Jury Special Prize in the Contrechamp (feature competition) category and the Crystal Award (grand prize) in the student category, respectively.

"Taeil," released in December last year, is a work depicting the life of labor activist Jeon Tae-il. It highlights him as a person pursuing simple dreams and happiness. By portraying him in a familiar, family-like manner, it minimizes the distance created by the label of "activist." It raises awareness of poor working conditions as a societal issue, fostering social empathy. Actors Jang Dong-yoon, Yeom Hye-ran, Jin Sun-kyu, Kwon Hae-hyo, and Park Chul-min participated in the dubbing. Distributor Mipofilm stated, "It seems that the deep empathy evoked by reflecting on the humane life Jeon Tae-il sought and the rights of workers was crucial," adding, "Most of the audience shed tears and applauded until the ending credits disappeared."

Movie 'Taeil-i' Still Cut

"Gakjil," distributed by the Korean Independent Animation Association, is a 6-minute short film that explores the social masks people wear. Director Moon created it as a graduation project at the Korea National University of Arts' School of Film, TV & Multimedia. The persona people create to avoid criticism from others is metaphorically compared to dead skin, earning early praise. Last month, it was the first Korean animation to be invited to the short film competition at the Cannes International Film Festival and was also screened in the Animafest Zagreb competition category. Director Moon expressed, "I am happy to have achieved this dream."

Movie 'Gakjil' Still Cut

Now in its 46th year, the Annecy International Animation Film Festival is known as the Cannes Film Festival of animation. It is held every June in Annecy, a resort city in the Savoie region of southern France. Previous Korean works that have won trophies include director Lee Seong-gang's "Mari Story" (Grand Prix in feature competition, 2002), director Choi Hyun-myung's "A Walk on a Rainy Day" (Special Mention in student competition, 2006), director Jung Da-hee's "Man on a Chair" (Crystal Award in short competition, 2014), and director Jung Hae-ji's "Sura" (Jury Special Prize in student competition, 2020).