Jo then studied film directing at the prestigious Korean Academy of Film Arts ( KAFA ) . He got admitted by submitting a film he made with his friends for pure fun . Among his classmates at KAFA was Yoon Sung-hyun , who would go on to direct '' Bleak Night '' . One of Jo 's teachers was Oh Seung-uk , screenwriter of award-winning romance '' Christmas in August '' , who taught him that " a director should trust his own abilities , but should always challenge their own works and expand their experiences . " In 2008 he wrote and directed the 43-minute short film '' Do n't Step Out of the House '' ( 남매의 집 ) , in which two impoverished children are menaced by strangers in the basement of a house . The short won several awards in 2009 , including Best Picture at the Mise-en-scène Short Film Festival and the Seoul Independent Film Festival , the Eastar Jet Award ( Best Korean Short Film ) at the Jeonju International Film Festival , and Third Prize at the Cinéfondation section of the Cannes Film Festival . It was later included in the omnibus '' Nice Shorts '' ( released in 2009 )
Cannes Film Festival
2009 Cannes Film Festival
Jo Sung-hee