[HanCinema's News] Female KAFA Graduates Find Success at Box Office

The Jeonju International Film Festival favorite "Aloners" broke the ten thousand viewer mark in its first week, with a total of 10,517 admissions at the box office as of June 1st. The positive reception is a good start for the Korean Academy of Film Arts (KAFA) graduate and director Hong Sung-eun, who hails from the 34th class. She is but one of several women to have graduated from KAFA in recent years, signaling the improved participation of women in the program.

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Hong Ji-young is one of the older KAFA graduate with a recent film. From the 14th class, Hong Ji-young made her debut with "The Naked Kitchen" in 2009 and just recently released "New Year Blues" earlier this year. The director has shown persistence over the years, with her fantasy romance "Will You Be There" even appearing with English subtitles in multiple international markets.

Boo Ji-young of the 17th class has taken on more of a support role. "Sisters on the Road" from 2009 and "Cart" from 2014 remain her two sole directing credits to date. But Boo Ji-young has shown influence beyond the director's chair by working as a consultant for such well-received independent projects as "A Boy and Sungreen" as well as "Our Body" which were both helmed by women directors.

Moving into the more recent generation, Yi Okseop of the 30th class grabbed attention with the deliberately weird "Maggie" from 2018. But Hong Sung-eun may be the most consummate talent to date, as "Aloners" has been highly-acclaimed in spite of the fact that it was her graduation project. CGV Arthouse has already pledged to invest in her next work, as many yet wonder what project the director will make to follow-up her story of modern feminine detachment.

Written by William Schwartz