far from the sky dir. jackii chun

a short film inspired by the Memoir of woong chun

어두운 낮을 살았다

south korea (1953)

recovering from the devastation of the Korean war, 1960s South Korea finds itself in a state of reconstruction through the assistance of u.s. military presence and material aid.

South Korean military and police presence is pervasive in society. uniformed officers run schools and orphanages. their leadership is authoritarian and militaristic.

JONGHO, 18, is head boy at the little lamb orphanage, his home since he was 11 years old.

Hard-working and resilient, JONGHO is well-respected among his fellow orphan boys.

From left: South Korea's First President, Syngman Rhee, First Lady Franziska Donner, Woong Chun, and boys from the orphanage during a presidential visit.

One day, JONGHO is cornered by a group of boys at the orphanage. They claim the latest shipment of food aid from the u.s. has mysteriously VANISHEd.

Starving and distraught, the boys cry foul. They allege the director and administrators of the orphanage have stolen their goods from them.

they implore JONGHO to confront the director, a former military officer, about the missing aid. they threaten to initiate a hunger strike if he doesn't.

Having grown up hungry his whole life, JONGHO takes pity on the boys.

But to confront an authority figure, let alone the director who took him in, would be unfathomable.

In an era of repressive autocracy

what would JONGHO sacrifice to stand up for his OWN?

shooting in south korea, June 2023

Author

Woong Chun (1942 -) is a retired political science professor of the Department of Liberal Arts at Hongik University. In 1971, the South Korean government falsely accused him of inciting pro-communist protests during the Student Revolution after his graduate thesis paper was published in NaeNara, a Yonsei University student newsletter. He was sentenced to six months in prison.

In 2022, he published his memoir, 어두운 낮을 살았다.

writer / director

Jackii Chun was born in Seoul, South Korea and raised up and down the Pacific Coast of the United States. She obtained her BA in Film Studies and Asian American Studies at the University of California, Davis and MFA in Film/Video at California Institute of the Arts. Her work has been screened at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, Camden International Film Festival, and more.

www.badkorean.co

farfromtheskyfilm@gmail.com

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