Actor Jang Keun-suk to attend int'l film festival as director

South Korean actor Jang Keun-suk has directed a film that will be featured in an international film festival opening in July, his publicist said Thursday.

"The Great Legacy" has been chosen as one of the short films to be showcased at Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN), Ytree Company said.

The festival was launched in 1997 to promote fantasy, horror and sci-fi flicks and put Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province on the global film festival map.

Jang has already made his directorial debut with the short film "Do You Still Envy Such a Life?," which won a special award at the 2012 Short Short Film Festival & Asia in Japan. He also wrote the screenplay, edited the movie and starred as the main actor.

 "The Great Legacy" centers on a man whose father loses consciousness, leaving behind only his savings that can be accessed by a bankbook. The son obsesses over finding the bankbook and neglects his duty to take care of his father.

"To us, dads may feel like such remote figures," the actor-turned-auteur was quoted as saying. "Maybe that's why some of us never get to call someone a dad."

Jang is currently pursuing his Master's and Ph.D. in theater and film at Hanyang University in Seoul. His classmates collaborated on the latest short film, the publicist said.

This year's BIFAN runs from July 21-31. (Yonhap)