Doc examines "comfort women" in Japan

Written by Han Sunhee

Sunday, 11 May 2008

Story Categories: Film, Japan, Korea,

JEONJU -- A swell of docus made by foreign helmers examining 20th century Japanese history have hit screens in recent years. After "Yasukuni," "Megumi" and "Nanking," the latest, "63 Years On," looks at the concept of "comfort women," female civilians forced into sexual slavery.

Helmed by Korean documentary filmmaker Kim Dong-won ("Repatriation"), the pic screened for the public for the first time at Korea's Jeonju Film Festival on May 4.

Narrated in English, "63 Years On" tells the sad stories of women who survived the brutality of the Japanese army during WWII, then scattered across Asia from Korea to China, Japan, the Philippines and Australia.

It notably presents clear proof sought by the United Nations Human Rights Policy Center for acts that many in Japan deny ever happening.

Commissioned by Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Center for United Nations Human Rights Policy, helmer Kim made the hourlong documentary for producers Dreamville Entertainment. Dreamville is also looking at adapting the subject matter into a dramatic feature, as a co-production between Korea, Hong Kong and the U.S.

"Japan has insisted for a long time that this issue concerns only Korea and Japan. But more than 200,000 women around the world were recruited forcefully for the job. I'd like to show that this is a global issue, which has haunted many victims who had to lose their beautiful youths and have survived in torment over their entire lives," Kim said after the screening.

The pic was produced with aim of broadcast in HD, rather than theatrical release. However, it has already been invited to film fests including London, Bergen, Copenhagen and Stockholm.

The pic's marketing executive, Mary K. Evjen Olsen, says "63 Years On" recently screened for VIPs at the National Assembly in Korea, for the European diplomatic community as well as the European business community. "The response was explosive," she says.

Japan has worked hard to prevent the issue from being problematic, especially through its relationship with the U.S. government. There is an almost satirical scene in the pic in which former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe says that he "feels sorry" about the issue at a joint press conference in the U.S.

President George W. Bush responds by saying "I accept the apology." However, the interviewees in the film lament that Japan has yet to provide formal apology to the victims, rather than to Bush or the U.S.

"Our primary objective with '63 Years On' is to let the world know the truth. We want build on the international attention given to human rights and encourage Japan to give a formal apology," says Olsen, who adds that producers are in talks with TV distributors in Europe and U.S.

Last year, U.S. congressman Mike Honda (D-Calif.) was able to get the House to pass a resolution asking Japan to acknowledge and apologize for the issue. The docu's producers hope more countries will join the outcry.

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