Korean animated film 'Circle' to compete at Berlin International Film Festival

South Korean animation director Joung Yu-mi's short animated film, "Circle," has been invited to compete in the short film category at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival, according to industry sources Tuesday.

With a running time of some seven minutes, "Circle" metaphorically explores the barriers created by societal perceptions.

The short animated film narrates the story of a girl drawing a circle. People gather one by one in the circle, and after the space becomes crowded, the girl erases the line. The crowd disperses, and the video shows the girl moving on from the scene.

"I wanted to portray individuals who have lost their original purpose, and the people who are unable to experience true freedom, constrained by the standards of others and society (through this short animated film)," said Joung via a press release.

With "Circle," Joung became the first director to have four animated films compete in the Berlin International Film Festival's short film category.

Joung's previous animated works "Math Test," "Love Games" and "House of Existence" were invited to the Berlin International Film Festival in 2010, 2013 and 2022, respectively.

The 74th Berlin International Film Festival will be held Feb. 15-25.

Joung's other animated film "Dust Kid" (2009) was also the first Korean animated films to be invited to Cannes' Directors’ Fortnight, an independent section held in parallel with the Cannes Film Festival, in 2009.

"Dust Kid," turned into a picture book in 2014 and won the 2014 Bologna Ragazzi Award in the New Horizon category. The Bologna Ragazzi Award, established in 1966, is regarded as one of the top awards in the field of children’s books.