Korean filmmaker July Jung awarded French cultural honor
Summary
Korean director July Jung received France’s Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters in Busan last week. The honor recognizes a filmmaker whose three feature films have been screened at the Cannes Film Festival. Jung’s latest film, Dora, was co-produced by Korea, France and Luxembourg. The ceremony also marked 140 years of diplomatic ties between Korea and France.
Key Facts
- The Order of Arts and Letters has three grades: Chevalier, Officier and Commandeur.
- Jung made her feature directorial debut with A Girl at My Door in 2014 and later directed Next Sohee in 2022 and Dora in 2026.
- The French Night ceremony was attended by about 150 filmmakers, actors, screenwriters and industry officials from Korea and France.
- The event was held alongside the 31st Busan International Film Festival to promote ties between Korean and French filmmakers.
Korean director July Jung receiving a French cultural order at the French Night ceremony held in the southeastern city of Busan, Monday. Courtesy of Embassy of France in Korea
Korean director July Jung, whose works have been invited to the prestigious Cannes Film Festival, has received a French cultural order, the French Embassy in Korea said Wednesday.
Jung was awarded the Chevalier of France's Order of Arts and Letters in a French Night ceremony held in the southeastern city of Busan last week, according to the embassy.
The Chevalier is one of three grades that comprise the Order of Arts and Letters, alongside the Commandeur and the Officier.
Jung, who made her directorial feature debut through "A Girl at My Door" (2014), has also helmed "Next Sohee" (2022) and "Dora" (2026). All three features were screened at Cannes.
Her latest feature, "Dora," is a film co-produced by Korea, France and Luxembourg.
Jung said she was initially unsure whether she was eligible to receive the honor, but she then remembered the support she received from the French audiences she had met across the French cities of Paris, Cannes and Strasbourg.
"Thanks to their encouragement, I once again realized the power of cinema, in which the lives portrayed in a film could become our own stories," she said during the ceremony.
Some 150 filmmakers, actors, screenwriters and industry officials from Korea and France attended last week's ceremony.
The event, aimed at promoting ties between Korean and French filmmakers, was held alongside the 31st edition of the Busan International Film Festival to mark the 140th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two nations.
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