Issue:
May 2025
Join the Film Committee
Join us on Wednesday, May 7 at 6 pm for a sneak preview of Voices of the Silenced by directors Park Soo-nam and Park Maeui. In this illuminating documentary, Park Maeui turns the camera toward her mother, renowned documentarian Park Soo-nam, capturing not only a complex family dynamic but also a legacy of bearing witness. In the opening scenes, a debate unfolds between the two. When Maeui suggests making the film more accessible to audiences, her mother retorts, “With that approach, my films would be meaningless.” She adds, “You and I don’t click,” setting the tone for a layered exploration of history, filmmaking, and generational conflict. As Park Soo-nam begins to lose her vision, her daughter undertakes the urgent task of digitally preserving her mother’s extensive archive—four decades of footage documenting testimonies from Korean survivors of wartime atrocities, including atomic bomb victims, forced laborers, and “comfort women”. Interweaving archival footage with present-day scenes of restoration, the film explores the ethical boundaries between filmmaker and subject—between a mother determined to record history and a daughter learning to carry that legacy. Park Soo-nam’s voice remains unwavering: “My films preserve the essence of historical truth.” Following the screening, join us for a Q&A session with directors Park Soo-nam and Park Maeui. (Voices of the Silenced, Korea/Japan 2025, 148 minutes. In Japanese/Korean with English/Japanese/Korean subtitles).
Thomas Ash is...
