At the Bottom of the Sea

2019, 10 min, 47 sec

In a landscape marked by oppression, Korean women and ecological forces seek paths for expression.

A filmmaker travels to South Korea to document the rising feminist movement responding to brutal patriarchal norms and a spy cam epidemic. Leading up to the protest of December 22, 2018 in Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul, the filmmaker journeys throughout rural and urban areas of the country, interviewing women of different generations and backgrounds: their private and public lives. Juxtaposed with these women’s stories are images of water and the natural world bursting through the cracks of the everyday, telling a story of kinetic, spiritual and emotional movement. The film is shot entirely on 16mm black and white and colour film, partially hand-processed.

Credits:

Direction, Writing and Images: Caroline So Jung Lee

Composer: Robin Lough

Sound Mix: Caroline So Jung Lee, Big World Sound

Sound Mix Assistance: Jamie Dunkle, Robin Lough

Producer: Caroline So Jung Lee

Full credits here

Awards:

Best Canadian Short Film at the Vancouver International Film Festival, 2019

President’s Media Art Award for Live Action at Emily Carr University, 2019

VIVO Video Out Distribution Award at Emily Carr University, 2019

*Educational copies of the film are available, please contact me for more information*