DMZ국제다큐멘터리영화제

Asian Docs Co-Production Network Project Forum

A forum will be held during the 15th DMZ Docs to reflect on the progress of the Asian Youth Documentary Co-Production Program, now in its fifth year. The forum will review past projects and discuss the direction of future co-productions

5th Asian Docs Co-Production Network Project Showcase

The showcase, which follows the planning stages of the projects of four teams participating in the 'Asian Youth Documentary Co-production' project, provides a sneak peek into the unique projects of the co-production teams that will be screened at the 16th DMZ Docs, as well as the documentary projects co-produced by the Korea National University of Arts and the Kazakh National Academy of Arts.

5th Asian Docs Co-Production Network Project

Virgin Road

In 1973, 25 Taiwanese female workers were drowned in a ferry accident while on their way to work at Gaoxiong’s Export Processing Zone. These female workers were buried collectively under Taiwan’s patriarchy system for being unmarried women, and they became otherized in the social realms of both nation and family and wandered around Gaoxiong as virgin ghosts.
This film is a road movie that follows along these female ghosts buried in ‘twenty-five woman’s grave’. This cinematic process traversing the political and social backgrounds of Asia, from Incheon in Korea to the locations of disasters in Gaoxiong, Taiwan, questions about the reality in which Asian women had to become ghosts in the urban history dotted with capitalism and industrialization.

Come Up for Air

Is marriage a blessing? Or is it a curse? Four East Asian women ponder this question.
If you could have one wish come true, what would it be? Such a simple question reveals the history and background of Taiwan, China, and Japan.
Beibei, who has seen her mother's hardships, wishes to succeed in her work, not as a housewife but as a human being. Veronica empathizes with her single mother's past and understands the emotions and meanings that marriage carries for a woman's life. Kaho wants to work with her partner to create a future in which women's rights are guaranteed. In the process of their engagement, they are pursuing what they see as a better marriage style than the current marriage system. Ami has broken up with her boyfriend of five years and is wondering what form happiness takes for her. She wants to have a happy family like her parents one day. The intersection of these four people with different ideologies and backgrounds regarding marriage creates a scientific reaction as different perspectives take root in each of them.

A Wall of Paper

There are queers living in Singapore, Taiwan, Korea, and China. They can be alone, cohabitating with their partners, married, or raising children. But their lives may or may not be legally recognized, dep ending on the country they live in. Unfortunately, queers living in most Asian countries do not have the right to form legally recognized families. Queers from four Asian countries in similar but different situations engage in a curious dialogue about each other’s lives. As it turns out, while a piece of pa per called marriage or adoption certificate does not recognize their lives, the law cannot deny or erase their existence.

Ngoh Hiang

Claudia, a participant in the DMZ program, ignites a captivating journey during a virtual meeting by asking a thought-provoking question: "If you've never been to this place, would you think you're from here?" Her exploration takes her to China, guided by a researcher from the Genealogy Society of Singapore. Embracing the notion of "roots," Claudia discovers the taste of home in foreign lands. In the vibrant streets of Anxi, she uncovers Fujian culture through a spice shop and local connections.
Claudia's vulnerability shines as she navigates cultural barriers, leading to a poignant reunion with long-lost relatives. As she engages with tradition and identity, Claudia's journey culminates in her Singaporean home, cementing a profound connection to her heritage. The film concludes with Claudia's introspective revelation, encapsulating her transformation: "I am Claudia, a Singapore Fujian person." A tale of self-discovery and cultural understanding unfolds across borders.

KOR-KAZAKH Documentary Co-creation·production Project

A collaboration between the Kazakh National Academy of Arts(KazNAA), Korea National University of Arts(KARTS), and the Korean Foundation for International Cultural Exchange, the KOR-KAZAKH Documentary Co-creation·production Project is a collaboration between young artists from both countries to create documentary works through continuous collaboration from conception to completion. The four projects, which explore diasporic space and time through apples that can no longer be found in Kazakhstan's capital city of Almaty, the body of Kazakh-Korean artist Anna Tsoy, a fictional train that has been running for 86 years, and cherries from the village of Ushtobe, will be introduced for the first time in Korea through the DMZ International Documentary Film Festival Showcase program. This co-production project is being led by Banu RAMAZANOVA(KazNAA), Zhanana KURMASHEVA(KazNAA), JEON Gyuchan(KARTS), and KANG Sang-woo(KARTS).

KQonnection

Hiraeth

Four Passengers

Cherry Sprout