In central Vietnam, there are people who still live with the memory of massacre.
On every February, villagers offer prayers with all their hearts and burn incense at various places to console the victims.

“Who can pay for the sins?”
In 1960s, South Korea fought in the Vietnam War as a US ally, insisting Korea should help to root out the communists in Vietnam. During the Vietnam War, the Korean army massacred an entire village. A few survivors spoke out, revealing what really happened that day but their statement still hangs in the air, unrecognized officially. 〈UNTOLD〉 recalls the memories of three survivors; Dinh Cam, Nguyen Lap, and Nguyen Thi Thanh, leaving the question: “After 50 years of silence, what does the Vietnam War really mean to us and what should it be?”

One day I visited my grandfather who participated in the Vietnam War as a military officer. He told me stories from Vietnam which were subtly different from what I heard firsthand while backpacking there. I wondered about it then, but didn’t put much weight on it. I was preoccupied with enjoying that moment of sharing travel stories with my grandfather.

In 2013, he died of cancer after suffering from the long-term effects of Agent Orange. Not much later a female survivor, Thanh, visited South Korea to give her testimony of her experiences during of one of the massacres. When I heard her story I felt the scattered pieces finally fall into place. In Korea, Thanh attended the weekly demonstration in support of Korean comfort women who survived the Second World War. Linked shoulder to shoulder she grabbed the mic, trembling. In that moment, I was convicted that that was what a human being was and what we all should be.That episode became the catalyst for why I starting filming her and other survivors like her. But my film is not only about the deep sorrow of a brutal massacre. It is also a questioning of how we, human beings, should live. I looked forward to discovering an answer to this question through what could be learned from Thanh and hopefully share it with the audience of this film.

Bora Lee-Kil
Director

Bora is a S. Korean writer/filmmaker who believes that born to and raised by deaf parents is her best gift for storytelling. She dropped out of school at 16 and travelled South East Asia, which inspired her first film 〈Road Schooler〉(2008). Following this, she studied filmmaking at Korea National University of Arts. She had MA at Netherlands Film Academy and won 2020 Young Art Support Amsterdam.

Saerom Seo
Producer

Born in Berlin, Germany with her loving parents who came to Germany as a miner and nurse and settled. Left the school in her late teens and studied visual arts at Haja Production School(alternative school). Contemplating current and contemporary issues such as The Four Major Rivers Restoration Project, Gangjeong Navy Base, Fukushima nuclear disaster, and Mae Sot refugee camp, writing and making documentaries. Her documentary 〈People of freedom at the border, and Aung San Suu Kyi〉(2011) was invited to the 7th Migrant World Film Festival in 2012. She also directed 〈Singing for Our Dreams〉 in 2012.

Sona Jo
Producer

Sona Jo studied Fine Arts & Social Sciences at Yonsei University. Her career in film production began with a Belgium-Korean co-production REACH FOR THE SKY. She produces mainly feature docs focusing on conflict, trauma and women. Her latest film is 〈UNTOLD〉(A WAR OF MEMORIES) about the civilian massacre committed by Korean military during the Vietnam War(Busan IFF, special mention).

Sojin Kwak
Director of Photography

Born in Seoul in 1993, South Korea, Sojin studied Film, TV & Multimedia at the Korea National University of Arts and graduated in 2014. She works as a writer and a video technician. Her works were shown in screenings such as: EXiS2014; Theatre de la Ville (Paris, France, DANSE ENLARGIE, 2016); CTRCabinet (No Color, 기획 멜팅포트, 2020). As a cinematographer, her works were selected on film festivals including: Busan International Film Festival; Korea (Mecenat Award - Jury's Special mention, 2018); Berline Biennale Project Lab. In 2020, she is currently working as an artist at Inmigong Creative Lab(KULA!).