ACF
Asian Cinema Fund
Asian Network of Documentary(AND) Fund
2018 Asian Network of Documentary (AND) Fund
LIST 206: Unearthed (aka. 206 – A Fragmented Past Unearthed)
| Category | BIFF Mecenat Fund |
|---|---|
| Project | 206: Unearthed (aka. 206 – A Fragmented Past Unearthed) |
| Director | HEO Chulnyung |
| Country | Korea |
| Director's Profile | Born in 1986 in Seoul, South Korea, Heo studied Broadcasting and Documentary filmmaking at Korea National University of Arts. His first feature documentary, Remanent People (2012), which delicately portrayed the desire of a family in the midst of redevelopment project in Seoul, was officially invited to the DMZ International Documentary Festival and Seoul Independent Film Festival in 2012. His latest film, The Whispering Trees (2017) was screened at various film festivals including 2017 Busan International Film Festival. |
- Synopsis
- In 2005, The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (a.k.a. TRC) was organized to illuminate anti-democratic national violence against humanity. The investigators excavate the truth of many unknown events, finding out 168 areas where the civilian massacre had taken place. However, controversies arose asking the TRC for its bias when investigating. These controversies led to the dissolution of TRC in 2010 with enormous numbers of events yet to be revealed. Accordingly, the investigators of the TRC all scattered to their fields of life. As civilians, the investigators start to gather around a hill near the Bright Snow Mountain (Seol Hwa Mountain) in the center of Korea from February 2018. The investigators with shovels and hoes instead of pens dig two meters into the ground; scorched black soil begins to come out. They are devastated to see the unbelievable scene in front of their eyes. What is the truth they face in the soil? 206 bones begin to talk to us.
- Director's Note
- Four years ago, I met an old woman who had lost her husband in Bodo League Massacre which happened during the Korean War. She told me of the day when she went to the excavation site 10 years after the war, hoping to find any trace of her husband. She saw a skull dangling on top of a large nail penetrating from the mud-plastered wall. She felt dizzy and fled. I cannot forget her blank eyes when she recounted this story calmly. That’s how I began making my previous film, The Whispering Trees (2017) and also why I am making this film, too. 206 focuses on the voices of the investigators who encounter the discovered remains and track down the truth by illuminating the state violence; it hopes to follow the tragic threads of the massacre during the Korean War. The truth in the past is spoiled with ugliness; however, we risk nailing another human being if we do not face that ugly truth honestly.
- Festivals
-
2021 Busan International Film Festival Wide Angle - Documentary Competition - BIFF Mecenat Award
2021 Seoul Independent Film Festival - Feature Showcase
2021 Incheon Human Rights Film Festival - Opening Film
2022 Seoul International Eco Film Festival - Korean Competition
2022 Taiwan International Documentary Festival - Asian Vision Competition
- Still Cut
-
