Feature Debut of SPROUT Director YOON Ga-eun
The lineup for the Berlin International Film Festival is steadily trickling in and, with the announcement of its Generations sections, the film jubilee has revealed its first Korean title for 2016.
YOON Ga-eun’s feature debut film
The World of Us will have its world premiere in the Generation Kplus section. Aimed at children and youths, the Generations program will feature 63 feature and short-length films this year, whittled down from a record 2,000 entries.
Much like her critically-acclaimed shorts, The World of Us focuses on young girls, this time the ten-year-old Sun and Jia who form a friendship as they play on the streets during summer. However, the social realities of their class in school threaten to tear them apart. Berlinale’s press release calls the film “a powerful but understated portrayal of the experience of a gentle young girl which is nothing short of masterful.”
A graduate of Sogang University and the
Korea National University of Arts, YOON gained international attention with her short
Guest in 2011, which earned her several awards from the Great Short Film Festival, the Seoul International Youth Film Festival, the Asia Film Festival of Dallas and Grand Prix at Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival. Next, her short
Sprout (2013), featuring the young
KIM Su-an, earned her the Best Short Film prizes from the Busan and Berlin International Film Festivals. YOON was also in the script department of the mainstream thriller
Tabloid Truth (2014).