20 Documentaries you cannot miss at the 11th DMZ International Documentary Film Festival (Part 2)

By Asian Film Festival on September 7, 2019 • ( 1 Comment )

We continue with our list of documentaries you shouldn’t miss at the 11th DMZ International Documentary Film Festival (DMZ Docs) which will take place from September 20th – 27th, in Goyang & Paju, Korea.

About the festival:
Over the past decade, DMZ International Documentary Film Festival has grown into the leading documentary festival in Korea and Asia. Now it presents its vision and direction more clearly with the documentary selections and program events. In overall, the number of Korean and Asian films has significantly increased in overall. Also, the quality and number of submitted Asian documentaries introduced in Global Vision and Showcase, as well as International and Asian Competitions, have increased considerably. DMZ DOCS intends to discover and introduce talented filmmakers and Asian documentaries that are actively progressing, and serve as a bridge between the world and Asia. It will be the year to confirm the status of DMZ DOCS as a significant platform to meet Asian documentaries and build partnerships. (DMZ Web)

Selected Films:

Let’s Dance by Jo Se-young – Korea | 2013 – 83 minutes
Section: DMZ Special Focus

In 2009, an accusation against abortion doctors from a group of Ob/Gyn specialists caused quite a stir in Korea. But there were those who could not be revealed in this noisy situation. Ordinary women workers or teachers, and women who will be parents soon, still students. In the pros and cons, their hidden experiences are revealed little by little, and the film goes back to the past.

Schedule:
September 25th | Wednesday | Megabox Baekseok 7 | 16:30 pm

Nocturne by Jeong Gwanjo – Korea | 2019 – 95 minutes
Section: Korean Competition

Sung-ho has Savant syndrome and pursues music. His mother supports him to encourage his talent. His brother Gun-ki feels neglected by his mother who is busy with taking care of his brother. The film is a story of the brothers. Their candid words raise questions about the meaning of family.

Old Fighter’s Story by Shin Imho – Korea | 2019 – 100 minutes
Section: Korean Competition

This is the first documentary on the hottest issue of part-time lecturers at universities. The right to work for intellectuals is a serious topic but hasn’t been discussed openly. The film portrays the 11-year struggle of an old lecturer couple and doesn’t hide complex issues in and out of the battle.

Our Time Machine by Sun Yang, S. Leo Chiang – China | 2019 – 81 minutes
Section: International Competition

When artist Maleonn realizes that his father suffers from Alzheimer’s disease, he creates “Papa’s Time Machine,” a magical, autobiographical stage performance featuring life-size mechanical puppets. Through the play, the two confront their mortality before time runs out, and memories are lost forever.

Over the Rainbow by Park Yeong-I, Kim Gongchol – Japan, Korea | 2019 – 80 minutes
Section: Korea Competition

Japan is a close but distant country. The film tells the past and present of Zainichi Koreans and pro-North Korean schools in Japan. Through the close-down order, protests, and withdrawal of the order, the schools remained steady for 70 years. The film doesn’t focus only on the past, but calmy depicts the lives of Zainichi Koreans. What is different today compared to 70 years ago?

Prison Friends by Kim Sungwoon – Japan | 2018 – 115 minutes
Section: Korean Docs Showcase

The story of four old men who were forced to make a false confession and spent their lives in prison. The film captures the present daily lives of those who were acquitted at the end of their life after having spent all their lives in death row. The film approaches the state’s violence against individuals from a humanistic point of view, not from a political point of view.

Song for My Children by Shalahuddin Siregar – Indonesia | 2019 – 112 minutes
Section: Asian Competition

In 1965, the Indonesian Communist Party was accused of treason. Millions of their members and those who allegedly affiliated with the Party was killed, imprisoned or sent to concentration camps. Almost 50 years later, a group of survivors and their family members form a choir group, called ‘Dialita’.

Tenzo by Tomita Katsuya – Japan | 2019 – 60 minutes
Section: International Competition

Two young monks return to their temples – one to Yamanashi and the other to Fukushima – after completing their training apprenticeship. Ten years later, facing the post-Fukushima socio-economic crisis, both monks, under different guises, have taken on more of a community role

The Tree Remembers by Lau Kek-huat – Taiwan | 2019 – 89 minutes
Section: Asian Competition

Derived from the proverb “What the axe forgets, the tree remembers”, presents the current situation in Malaysia whereas the racial policy is still practiced in Malaysia and the victims forced to have remained in silence. This film tackles the origin of racism in Malaysia and the taboo of racial riot in 1969.

Yukiko by Noh Young-sun – France | 2019 – 70 minutes
Section: Korean Docs Showcase

The story of a woman named Yukiko traced by her granddaughter. The unfinished love of a Japanese woman and a Korean man gives birth to the granddaughter’s mother during the Japanese colonial period. The film unfolds the modern history along with the three generations of women and the three countries of Japan, Korea, and France. An intellectual and poetic documentary about the diaspora in Korea of modern and present age.

For more information about the program and schedule please visit the official website of the festival: DMZ Docs Website

To see Part 1 of this article please go to this link: PART 1