ACF
Asian Cinema Fund
Asian Network of Documentary (AND) Fund
2024 Asian Network of Documentary (AND) Fund
LIST Dew is Coming
| Category | Korean Project |
|---|---|
| Project | Dew is Coming |
| Director | KIM Taeil, JU Romi |
| Country | Korea |
| Director's Profile |
Kim Tae-il began his filmmaking career with documentary community Blue Video. Since Wonjin Factory Story (1993), which described the Wonjin Rayon industrial contamination scandal and its aftermath, he has consistently expressed interest in exploring the dark and painful side of Korean social history and the working class; unearthing the records of individuals whose lives have been expunged from the grand historical narrative, and continuing to work on a world history of the people, from the perspective of the lowly insects rather than the bird’s-eye view of the lofty eagles. Ju Romi entered documentary filmmaking in 2008 as a scriptwriter for Farmers′ Pharmacy (Kim Tae-il, 2008). She later worked as a scriptwriter and assistant director, and was named co-director for All Live Olive (Ju Romi, Kim Tae-il, 2017). She is interested in the stories of individuals who live their lives anonymously within mainstream history, attempting to get to know them through her works. |
- Synopsis
- Group A of the Jangseong Coal Mining Department, who toil at the coalface, living and dying together at the coalface. Those who came to work the mines for only a year or two ended up staying for between 20 and 40 years; the life they lived there, raising their children and maintaining their families, an incomplete life. The miners who have dug out the last of the coal say they will miss the mine they were once so desperate to leave. The results of the 2022 presidential election revived a stifled conservative wind. Unlike the slow changes in the world, the changes in Taebaek came in an instant. Nevertheless, there are people who remember the self-immolation of the late Seong Wan-hee, a coal miner in Gangwon, 35 years ago. This is the biggest reason why they could not leave Taebaek. The young people who in their 20s were fighting for miners′ rights are now approaching 60. Lee Yeon-bok, who left Taebaek a long time ago, keeps his eight years as a miner buried in his heart. Five friends who were at the scene of martyr Seong Wan-hee′s self-immolation have all dispersed across the country and have even lost track of where the others live. One day, the five all long to get together and visit their friend′s grave, but there is no way to find it. Will those who gathered and dispersed in a place called Taebaek, in a mine about to close down, ever meet again?
- Director's Note
- Taebaek is a city that preserves the history of the coal industry and coal mines. The miners, once known as industrial warriors, will be consigned to history by 2025. Along with the closure of the mines, the past lives of the miners also remain in the memory of each individual. If the history of the coal mine and the lives of the miners are to disappear, due to closure, will there be nothing left? Is there anything that should be preserved? It all started with this question. Jangseong Mining, the last remaining mine in Taebaek, will close in 2024, and the miners working there will be the last of their kind. I wanted to complete a painting, capturing closely what is left behind by the abandoned coal mine; its traces, the people, and the cityscape.
- Still Cut
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