Land of My Father

Shusenjo: The Main Battleground of the Comfort Women Issue

July 2019 •English

A Japanese-American director digs deep into the controversial 'comfort women' issue to settle the debate on whether the women were paid prostitutes or sex slaves, and reveals the motivations and intentions of the main actors pushing to revise history in Japan.

Hundred Years' War in Korea

November 2012 •Korean

My name is KIM Bok-dong

August 2019 •Korean

In 1992, KIM Bok-dong, reported herself as a victim of the sexual slavery, "comfort women" during World War Ⅱ. She wanted to receive the proper apology from the Japan government but they denied its responsibility. In 2011, commemorating the 1000th Wednesday demonstration, Statue of Peace was installed in front of the Embassy of Japan. The fight over Japan confronts a new stage.

1919 Yu Gwan-sun

March 2019 •Korean

A film that explores the lives of female independence activists who fought against the Japanese Occupation in the North and South of Korea.

The Silence

December 2017 •Japanese

The Silence narrates the struggle of fifteen "comfort women"—former sex slaves by the Imperial Japanese Army during WWII—for recognition and reparation. The "comfort women" issue has previously been treated almost exclusively within the framework of Korean nationalism. The Silence will provide insight into the ways in which nationalism and the emergence of post-war Asian nation-states have hindered the understanding of "comfort women" narratives through Zainichi Korean documentary filmmaker Soo-nam Park's point of view.

A Song of Korean Factory Girls

August 2024 •Korean

During the Japanese colonial period, 22 Korean female workers were forced to work in a spinning mill in Osaka across the sea to support their families. Despite facing discrimination and violence, their testimonies and life-affirming songs of victory have endured.

The Ukishima Maru Massacre

September 2019 •Korean

22nd of August, 1945. Japan lost the war and they loaded an 8,000 person Joseon laborer force onto a ship called the Ukisima to take them to the Busan Port. However, the ship sunk into the water due to an unknown blast. This is the story of thousands of Joseon people who dreamed of returning to their families and how they died.

The Cross of North Gando

October 2019 •Korean

The Christians of North Gando lose their country and leave their hometown, but gain the Gospel. The cross they hold in their hands is the symbol of daring for independence and a royal summon of the generation they have to endure. Historian Sim Yo Han retraces the footsteps of the late Father Moon Dong Hwan and finds meanings of the anti-Japanese independence movement hidden in various parts of North Gando.

Media Mafia: a Tale of Two Newspapers

January 2021 •Korean

The 100 years of history of the Chosun Ilbo and the Dong-A Ilbo show that wrong press can be a social weapon.

Born in Gunsan and After Seven Years, I Was Repatriated to Japan...

September 2023 •Korean

A bamboo forest becomes a city with bustling streets that then smoothly transform into photographs: never really in focus, ever more fragmentary and blurred. Born in Gunsan and after seven years, I was repatriated to Japan… begins as a formidable exercise in fūkei-ron, only to turn into a meditation on what remains of the past, with worlds, eras and personal views colliding.

Comfort

February 2022 •Korean

KIM Soonak is a survivor of sex slavery by the Japanese military. The war may have ended, but her life was still at a war. She lived in the prostitute quarters to survive, did sex business in the US military camp town, and peddled goods from the US military. She raised two kids on her own as she worked as a maid. We’ll listen to her story in her absence. The film reconstructs the life story of the deceased KIM Soonak with interviews with activists, archive videos, animation, and read-aloud testimony.

Things That Do Us Part

November 2019 •Korean

Things That Do Us Part is a documentary that reframes the stories of three women fighters who dove into a tragic war in modern Korean history, using witness statements and reenactments.

Annyeong, Sayonara

January 2005 •English

This joint Korean-Japanese production follows a Korean woman, Lee Ha-jong, as she searches for her father's remains. He - like tens of thousands of other Koreans - was forced into the Japanese military, and subsequently killed during WW2. She is joined by a Japanese man, seeking reconciliation between his country's military past, and the countries victimized by that history. The filmmakers portray both sides of a still highly emotional debate that centers around the enshrinement of soldiers at the Yasukuni Shrine, and Lee's lawsuit to prevent her father from being enshrined there. As Lee visits Japan and the controversial Yasukuni Shrine, she confronts - and is confronted by a wall of nationalistic pride that might be compared to neo-Nazis defending the righteousness of The Reich. This is contrasted with her meeting and working with Japanese peace activists, who deplore their countries' militaristic past, and seek to heal the wounds with her neighbors.

The Big Picture

August 2013 •Korean

East Asia Anti-Japan Armed Front

August 2020 •Korean

Race to Freedom: Um Bok-dong

February 2019 •Korean

During the Japanese colonial rule of Korea, while people are in despair, Jae-ho tries to raise morale by winning cycle championship. Bok-dong, who started cycling with Jae-ho just to make a forture, becomes a symbol of hope for Koreans by defeating Japanese cyclists.

General's Son

June 1990 •Korean

In Japanese-occupied South Korea, a young man, newly-released from prison, is accepted into a gang for his fighting skills and quickly rises to the top. Based on the life of South Korean mobster and politician Kim Du-han.

The Last Princess

August 2016 •Korean

Under the oppressive Japanese colonial rule, Deok-hye, the last Princess of the declining Joseon Dynasty, is forced to move to Japan. She spends her days missing home, while struggling to maintain dignity as a princess. After a series of failed tries, Deok-hye makes her final attempt to return home with help of her childhood sweetheart, Jang-han.

MAL·MO·E: The Secret Mission

January 2019 •Korean

During the Japanese occupation of Korea, the Japanese Empire seeks to eradicate the Korean language and identity. In retaliation, a small group of Korean patriots try to protect their language by compiling the first Korean language dictionary.

The Bell Tower

August 1958 •Korean

An elderly bell maker reminisces about his life filled with tragedy.