Short films are short portrayals of any story or subject, sensitive or delightful, scary or eye-opening. To fit in with the concept in minimum targeted screen time is the creativity of short filmmakers. Like K-dramas and movies, Korean short films are worth watching. Many great Korean directors have started their careers with short films, and it is possible to go through their previous work online and in film festivals. Short films are all bout concepts despite not knowing the language and reading subtitles. The listed shot films are much engaging and are worth watching in Korean.
1. Moon Young- 2015
Moon-Young, played by Kim Tae-Ri, is a mute girl who roams around with a camcorder to film people around her. One time when she was out of the home to avoid her alcoholic dad, she met a girl while capturing her breakup scene. Kim Tae-Ri has been in famous dramas and movies like- Twenty-Five Twenty-One, The Handmaiden, Mr. Sunshine, etc.
Directed By: Kim So-Yeon
2. Summer Bus- 2017
Summer Bus is the sweetest short film on the list. The story doesn't stick to a single plot of characters but revolves around the two bus drivers, their passengers, and a small connection of incidents. As the synopsis says- The film projects the warmth of everyday life and the delightful acts of people in that tiny bus.
Directed By: Jin Ah Ryu, Beom-Sik Cho
3. Just Friends? -2009
Gay/Lesbian stories are ordinary and regular in today's entertainment industry, yet the topic has stuck as a taboo. The film projects a gay couple, Seok-I (Lee Je-hoon) and Min-soo (Yeon Woo-jin), who are struggling and dealing with the issue of coming out as a gay couple while one of their mothers discovers the truth.
Directed By: Kim-Jho Gwangsoo
4. Night Fishing- 2011
Night Fishing is a 2011 South Korean fantasy-horror short film shot entirely on iPhone. The story is about a fisherman (Oh Kwang-rok), a female shaman (Lee Jung-Hyun), and a man catching an unexpected thing while fishing. This film won the Best short film Golden bear award at the 61st Berlin International Film festival.
Directed By: Park Chan-Kyong, Park Chan-wook
5. Coming Out- 2001
This short film starts with an interview with a brother whose sister is a Vampire. The sister, Gu Hye-Ju as Hyun-Joo, confesses herself as a Vampire to her family in a recorded video and proves it is not a prank by biting herself for blood. Later her brother catches a few events near the telephone booth of Hyun as evidence of the fact.
Directed By: Kim Jee-Woon
6. Judgment- 1999
Judgment is again a short story by Park Chan-wook. Judgment is a true story based on the 1995 collapse of the Sampoong department store. In a morgue, the girl's body, who died in the collapse, is claimed by two families- a middle-aged couple and one of the morgue employees. Many documentary footages are a joining thread to the portrayal of the short film.
Directed By: Park Chan-wook
7. Day Trip- 2012
Day Trip is from the same duo of directors of ‘Night Fishing,’ Park Chan-Kyong, and Park Chan-wook. It is a South Korean short film depicting the story of a Pansori teacher (Song Kang-ho) and his student (Jeon Hyo-Jung), who travels to a mountain to practice Pansori (a genre of musical storytelling). Unexpected incidents take place when the girl starts performing.
Directed By: Park Chan-Kyong, Park Chan-wook
8. In the Absence- 2018
In the Absence, a South Korean–American short documentary film, got a nomination for Academy Award for Best Documentary at the 92nd Academy Awards. It is about the disastrous incident in Korea in 2014. In the incident of the sinking of MV Sewol, more than 300 people died, along with Danson High School students. This real-life incident further became one of the many reasons for the impeachment of South Korea’s president, claiming it was the government's negligence.
Directed By: Seung-jun Yi
9. Door Lock-2018
It is a Thriller Horror Genre film that may scare you to live alone in your apartment. Kyung-Min lives in a studio apartment and is suspicious that someone has been in her apartment earlier. Strange incidents shook her, which led her to fear and suspect simultaneously. Well, Is it really a murder case? Gong Hyo-jin played Cho Kyung-min, the girl. Gong Hyo-jin gets recognition from When the Camellia Blooms, It's Okay That's Love, like K-dramas.
Directed By: Lee Kwon
10. Incoherence- 1994
Bong Joon-ho was in his fourth year of graduation when he directed this film. It is about three men and three different situational stories, brought together in the fourth part through a brilliantly creative concept. It is about how experts talk on a television show about social disorder, where they indulge in little crimes.
Directed By: Bong Joon-ho
