The conclusion of the six-month long “2023 4.3 Film Festival” was a significant moment that bridged the past and future of 4.3 documentaries.

The Jeju 4.3 Peace Foundation hosted the November screenings of the “4.3 Film Festival” at CGV Jeju for two days starting last month on the 24th, thereby concluding the extensive six-month journey that began in June 2023.

The November screenings of the festival included five films: ‘Red Hunt 1,’ ‘Red Hunt 2: State Violence,’ ‘Schindler’s List,’ ‘Testimony of Kondo Hajime,’ and ‘The Huntsman.’

The documentaries ‘Red Hunt 1 & 2,’ directed by Jo Sung-Bong, are significant early cinematic works in the 4.3 truth-finding saga. The first part, released in 1997, uncovers the causes of the large-scale casualties during 4.3 through testimonies from both perpetrators and victims. The 1999 sequel connects these events to the Gwangju Democratization Movement on May 18th, 1980, revealing ‘state violence’ as a common thread through these tragedies.

‘Schindler’s List’ (1994), directed by Steven Spielberg, was re-screened at this year’s “4.3 Film Festival,” just a year before its 30th anniversary. The film, set during the Nazi occupation, evokes memories of the 4.3 massacre, portraying a storm of genocide against Jews. Spanning over 190 minutes in black and white, it allows viewers to witness blood-filled deaths and rage, a glimmer of conscience in camellia hues emerging from the darkness, and the potential for humanity’s kindness.

▲ Film <The Huntsman>

The documentary ‘The Huntsman’ (2023, directed by Yang Ji-Hoon) is the latest work and the winner of the Short Film Grand Prize at the 15th DMZ International Documentary Film Festival this year. Its Jeju premiere took place at the “2023 4.3 Film Festival.” The film follows a grandson slowly uncovering his grandfather’s hidden past through the medium of ‘alcohol.’ It delves into the story that the grandfather, who experienced 4.3, deeply buried but ultimately confesses – a tale yet to be fully revealed.

The documentary ‘Testimony of Kondo Hajime’ (2023, directed by Ikeda Eriko), based on the actual testimonies of a Japanese participant in the Pacific War, exposes war crimes including those related to the Japanese military ‘comfort women.’

This year’s inaugural 4.3 Film Festival, a collaborative initiative by the Foundation and the Jeju Free International City Development Center, introduced a total of 21 films under the theme ‘Record of Memory, Peace and Human Rights, Solidarity and Future.’ The festival has run from June to November, on the last Friday and Saturday of each month at CGV Jeju in Ido 2-dong.

Oh Im-Jong, acting chairman of the Foundation, stated, “The Foundation plans to continue the 4.3 Film Festival, which has widely spread the values of 4.3 between Jeju and Seoul, into next year and beyond. We urge the public to show interest in the November film festival, which features meaningful works.”