by REERA YOO | @reeraboo
editor@charactermedia.com
South Korea announced on Thursday that it will render financial support for the production of an animated short film about Korean women forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese imperial army during World War II.
The project is a sequel to director Kim Jung-gi’s 2011 animated short film, Herstory. Based on a true story, Herstory follows the life of Jeong Seo-wun, who was taken away to Indonesia when she was 13 years old and was forced to work at a Japanese military brothel for eight years.
The film won several awards and critical acclaim at film festivals, including last year’s Angoulême International Comics Festival.
Unlike the first installment of Herstory, the sequel is set to depict wartime sexual slavery issues from the perspective of Japanese soldiers who were at the scene.
On Thursday, South Korea’s Ministry of Gender Equality and Family said it will provide 200 million won ($180,375 USD) for the sequel’s production in hopes of raising global awareness of the “comfort women” issue.
“We decided to provide monetary support for the production of the film based on the judgment that an animated film can be a very effective means for delivering stories of former sex slaves,” the ministry told Yonhap. “Details of the new film have yet to be decided but we expect it will be as good as the original work.”
Under the direction of Kim, the sequel will be made into a 15-minute short with 3D animation. The film is slated for a late 2016 release, according to the ministry.
You can watch the first Herstory below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=48&v=0CmWdrlv3fI
Recommended Reading
“Former ‘Comfort Women’ Journalist Vows to Take Stand”
“Seoul to Strengthen Education on ‘Comfort Women'”
“South Korea’s Stigmatized Ex-Prostitutes Face Eviction”
____
Featured image via Herstory/Naver Blog
