On the Border, Persistently is a special section showcasing the perspectives and aesthetic attempts of contemporary filmmakers who explore the expanding context of the diaspora and life on the border through various layers such as place, culture, and identity. This section introduces works from Germany, Austria, the United States, Japan, and Korea that capture the diverse faces of those who persistently endure at the border, resolutely confront the conditions of life, and at times, flexibly cross boundaries.
One of the featured films, Voices of the Silenced, is an archival documentary directed by Park Soo-nam and her daughter Park Maeui, documenting the stories of countless individuals who were marginalized, killed, or injured by the violence of Japanese imperialism, including atomic bomb victims, forced laborers, and “comfort women.” This documentary was invited to screen at this year’s Berlin International Film Festival. Another film, Arirang Rhapsody by director Kim Sungwoong, is a documentary that steadfastly captures the voices of women who migrated to Japan during the Japanese colonial period for various reasons and settled there, focusing on their later years and their opposition to war.
Favoriten by director Ruth Beckermann is a documentary that examines issues of migration and class by recording three years of interactions between teachers and children at an elementary school in Favoriten, a district in Vienna predominantly inhabited by the working class. Winners by director Soleen Yusef is a feature film that portrays the experiences and changes faced by a Syrian refugee girl as she joins a girls’ soccer team at a school in Berlin; both of these films were screened at this year’s Berlin International Film Festival.
The special section also includes Smoking Tigers, the feature debut by Korean-American director Shelly Yo, which earned Best Screenplay and Best Acting awards at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival. This film offers a sincere depiction of the coming-of-age story of a Korean-American girl drifting between two societies with different languages and cultures. Through these and other works, this section will provide a diverse array of perspectives on life at the border.
