Articles

  • Directing Under Dictators: Shin Sang-ok, the Prince of Korean Cinema

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    In 1978, the South Korean Park Chung-hee regime shut down a film studio that defined the country’s postwar film industry after the release of a forbidden kiss scene. Six months later, the studio’s head was abducted by the North Korean Kim Jong Il regime. The head was a South-Korean director and producer, Shin Sang-ok, who directed the film that caused the controversy: “Rose and Wild Dog.” Shin’s career survived two authoritarian governments, as well as an abduction and imprisonment. Through these constricting experiences, he continued to make films — whether under surveillance, direct orders or freely, proving that systems of censorship and political warfare will fail in their efforts to squash creativity and passion. 

  • Reclaiming the Male Gaze: Learning to See Through Film Photography

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    I’ve questioned my own gaze for years. As a small child, I observed my three sisters — triplets eight years older than me — become women, and marveled at the power, allure and dynamism in femininity. Simultaneously I saw men lie, cheat and be violent in their reach for women. And I’ve gazed at myself in the mirror, watching my perception of self shift from day to day. My own perception of myself is as capricious as the winds, rising and falling with my mood, my cycle, the day’s events.

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    Too Daring for a Domestic Audience? Examining the 1964 Japanese Horror Film ‘Onibaba’ 

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    “THE MOST DARING FILM IMPORT EVER . . . FROM JAPAN!” is how Toho Studios first advertised “Onibaba” to foreign audiences. With a sex-centered plot that features disturbing, psychosexual encounters between characters, writer/director Kaneto Shindo’s intentionally controversial 1964 horror film pushed the limits of both Japanese and international censorship laws. Mildly censored in Japan and banned outright in countries such as the U.K., “Onibaba” serves as a deeply unusual combination of folkloric story and bold, modern sexuality.

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    ‘No Other Land’ and the Violent Suppression of Truth

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    Before he was murdered in his hometown of Umm al-Khair, Palestinian activist Awdah Hathaleen sent a final message to the West Bank Protection Consortium’s WhatsApp group:

    “Urgent call — the settlers are working behind our houses. And the worst, they’re trying to cut the main water pipe for our community. We need everyone to act. If you can reach people like the congress, the courts, please do everything. If they cut the pipe — I’m sorry. If they cut the pipe, the community here will literally be without any drop of water.”

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    ‘Z’: How a Single Letter Paved the Way for Government Criticism

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    Post-WWII, the sixties were a period of military dictatorships and one-party governments around the world. In Europe, one of the only countries that had a military dictatorship, or junta, was Greece, after a bloodless coup orchestrated by the leadership of army colonel and subsequent Prime Minister Georgios Papadopoulos. This military junta inspired French-Greek filmmaker, Costa-Gavras, to create the film “Z” in 1969. Due to its critique of the government, the film would not be released in Greece until after the fall of the junta.

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    DOK Leipzig standout: Vincent Graf in conversation about “Nonna”

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    Attending DOK Leipzig for the first time this year felt like stepping into a vibrant constellation of urgent stories, bold artistic voices, and unexpected emotional turns. During the three last days of the festival, I encountered very diverse films that were each a revelation. My festival journey began with Vincent Graf’s “Nonna,” shown in a packed arthouse cinema in the heart of Leipzig, and I truly couldn’t have imagined a warmer introduction to DOK Leipzig. The film is an affectionate, spirited portrait of the filmmaker’s larger-than-life grandmother, whose vibrant, sharp-witted presence illuminates every frame.