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[HanCinema's Korea Diaries] "Gangjeong" April 25th-27th

...I forgot to mention, while most of the screenings took place in Gangjeong itself, the opening screening took place at the Catholic Church in Seogwipo. Originally it was supposed to take place at the Seogwipo Arts Center, but they backed out at the last minute citing "political sensitivity". Now that's just plain shameful. The opening screening of "Upside Down" was standing room only and may well have been a fire hazard. I visited the Seogwipo Arts Center shortly before going to Gangjeong and the closest thing they had to a major event was some British romantic comedy from three years ago. Which just goes to show- if your choices for an ally in justice are artists or the church, the church is the better pick every time.

But the big surprise for me was the opening reception- to which everyone, and I mean everyone was invited. Again, I've gone to lots of official film events, and the extent to which proper ID and specifically written invitations are required is maddening- especially when, as is often the case, the relevant information is improperly communicated ahead of time. The Gangjeong military base issue has made a community. Nobody's shutting doors in anybody's face here. Everyone is a person who deserves basic human dignity- not coincidentally also a major thematic point in "Upside Down".

There were lots of musical performances too. Impromptu and planned. It really needs to be noted that, morose nature of the film festival's existence notwithstanding, the International Peace Film Festival in Gangjeong was, well, it was pretty festive. Like, you could just wander on by and observe that something was happening pretty much for the fun of it. Shouts of "encore" were quite common.

Another important part of any film festival is meetings. No joke- whether it's between staff, or at a megatalk, or just an impromptu chat on the street, communication is what makes or breaks a film festival. The Gangjeong staff and volunteers were consistently considerate and helpful. They weren't always totally competent when it came to reliable information, I'll admit, but on this scale minor mistakes are pretty forgivable.

Now, while my role here was technically apolitical, I do feel like I need to mention the South Korean Navy's lawsuit against Gangjeong for three million dollars. Supposedly the protests caused this- which is nonsense. The people of Gangjeong don't have the resources to initiate that kind of sabotage even if they believed in violent measures, which they do not. The base's construction has had numerous financial problems, though. Proper permits weren't acquired. Installation procedures had been bungled incompetently. Typhoons also caused a great deal of problems because Gangjeong isn't even that well situated geographically to serve as a naval base.

And you know, let that sink in for a moment. The Japanese Empire had forty years to try and build a naval base on Jeju as a point of attack against its many potential enemies, yet they never did so. They recognized the impracticality. South Korea is at a long-standing peace with China, Taiwan, Okinawa and pretty much every other territorial zone that's closer to Jeju than an existing naval base. Which begs the question- why exactly does the South Korean government feel the need to build this base in the first place?

The very fact that I can sincerely ask this question alone is a pretty horrible indictment of the whole project. Thank goodness the recent win of leftist parties in South Korean parliamentary elections have put a damper on the lawsuit. For now.

...So as to avoid closing Gangjeong out on a gloomy note, this is where I took most of my meals- at a buffet restaurant on the east side of town. Nothing fancy- just the kind of place frequented by farmers and laborers, who make up the bulk of Gangjeong's population. I liked this place because, while the menu changed every day, they always served Japchae (잡재), pictured at the far left. Sweet potato noodles. I love sweet potato noodles, just as I love Gangjeong.

Next stop- Seoul's May Film Festivals. The Green Film Festival in Seoul (서울환경영화제) started yesterday on Friday May 6th, and the Seoul International Agape Film Festival (서울국제사랑영화제) begins on Tuesday May 10th. It'll take a little more time than that for us to publish the relevant articles, but hey, just so you know.

Article by William Schwartz

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