(Japanese translation follows English, 日本語訳は英文の後に続きます。)
A Powerful Collaboration Documents the Hidden History of Japan's Zainichi Koreans
Sneak Preview Screening: "Voices of the Silenced" followed by a Q&A with
directors Park Soo-nam and Park Maeui
Wednesday, May 7 at 6:00 pm
In Japanese/Korean with English/Japanese/Korean subtitles
Korea/Japan 2025 148 minutes
Directed by: Park Soo-nam and Park Maeui
Produced by: Park Maeui, Mun Jeonghyun
Film courtesy of Park Soo-nam Films
In the opening scenes of "Voices of the Silenced," director Park Maeui engages her mother, veteran documentary filmmaker Park Soo-nam, in a tense exchange about the purpose of the film they are making together. When her daughter suggests it should be accessible and easy for audiences to understand, the elder Park snaps back: "With that approach, my films would be meaningless." When she adds, "You and I don't click," it becomes clear the audience is in for a fascinating journey-one that navigates history, the filmmaking process, and a complex mother-daughter relationship.
As Park Soo-nam begins to lose her vision, her daughter embarks on a mission to digitally preserve her mother's vast archive: an invaluable collection spanning four decades that encompasses historical interviews with survivors of horrific war crimes, and includes testimonies from Korean atomic bomb survivors, forced laborers, and women conscripted as comfort women by the Japanese military. Park Soo-nam schools both her daughter and the audience on the purpose of her life's work: "I make films to record... the essence of historical truth." Her words are clear, defiant, and bold-dispelling any assumptions that age or frailty have dulled her power as a filmmaker.
The present-day collaboration between this mother-daughter codirecting team, as they sift through and preserve decades-old, deteriorating footage, is expertly interwoven with Park Soo-nam's archival footage, bringing to life the voices of those who have long been silenced. Both Parks navigate the ethical boundaries of a director's relationship with their subjects-the elder Park with her interviewees, the younger with her mother-but neither crosses the line. Despite its considerable length, "Voices of the Silenced" is riveting from beginning to end: a masterclass in documentary filmmaking and intergenerational storytelling.
When asked about the purpose of the restoration, Park Soo-nam replies, "My films will forever preserve memories." She adds, "As the victims' memories endure, so does the accountability of the perpetrators." And that is precisely what this film ensures: even as historical revisionism and racism continue to thrive in Japan, the existence of Park Soo-nam's life's work refuses to let the truth be erased. As one of her interviewees puts it: "What happened did happen. No one can change that."
Please join us for this sneak preview of "Voices of the Silenced" before the Japan release this summer.
For more (in English): https://nutigafu.wixsite.com/park-Soonam/english
Director PARK SOO-NAM is a second-generation Korean born in Mie Prefecture, Japan. She first gained fame as a bestselling author with her book "Crime, Death and Love" (1963). This was followed by "Korea, Hiroshima, Half-Japanese" (1973), which dealt with the experiences of Korean victims of the atomic bombing in Hiroshima. She made her debut as a documentary director with "The Other Hiroshima - Korean A-bomb Victims Tell Their Story" (1985), followed by "Song of Ariran - Voices from Okinawa" (1991), and "Nuchigafu - Life is a Treasure ‘Gyokusai’ Stories in the Battle of Okinawa" (2012). Her film "The Silence" (2016) won the Brave Goose Award at the DMZ International Documentary Film Festival. "Voices of the Silenced" received the BIFF Mecenat Award at the Busan International Film Festival and the Determination Award at the Seoul Independent Film Festival, and has screened at many international festivals.
Director PARK MAEUI has collaborated with her mother on a number of film productions since adolesence. When her mother lost her eyesight, Park took on tasks related to video editing and film restoration. She served as the associate director for "Nuchigafu - Life is a Treasure" (2012) and the producer/cinematographer/editor on "The Silenced" (2017). She is a producer/codirector/cinematographer/editor of "Voices of the Silenced."
Please make your reservations at the FCCJ Reception Desk 03 3211-3161 or from the event page.
All film screenings are private, noncommercial events primarily for FCCJ members and their guests.
- Thomas Ash, Film Committee