Still and All

A documentary about the Korean baseball team Lotte Giants.

Oh Minwook’s Eternal Brightness, adapted from Jo Gapsang’s novel Eye of the Night, narrates the past and the present lives of the characters who have lived through the contemporary history of Korea, from the Korean War in the 1950s to the Busan-Masan Democratic Protests calling for the Park Chung-hee administration’s Yushin regime in October 1979.

On the 1st of February, 2021, Myanmar’s Military launched air strikes against the Karen minority group. The news reminds K of his time in Karyn State 4 years back. K thinks of General Neda who wanted to build a community for Karen refugees, Khun from Thailand and the village children who helped him. He promised to fight for peace when General Neda sang “Wonderful Tonight” for him. Reminded of his forgotten promise, K roams the street aimlessly. Still, time eats away at his memories.

Stories about the late President ROH Moo-hyun and BAEK Moo-yun - a man who once lost a congressional election - are intersecting and touching each other. This documentary tells a story about two men that dreamed about living in a country where the people come first.

The Lotte Giants is a huge part of Korean professional baseball's history. 30 years have passed since their last win in 1992. Now, they are tired of self-dissing mixed with resentment against the club and players. But, why can't they leave even though they know? Why won't the 'Talde effect' work? Why do they get excited when spring comes? Why are they so sure the win rate will be over 50%? Now here, nevertheless, with fans moving to Sajik Baseball Stadium, the 40-year history of the Giants unfolds centered on former and current Lotte Giants players.

Gukdo Art Cinema located in Daeyeon-dong, Busan is one of the most representative cinema in Busan for independent films and arthouse films along with Cinematheque Busan (currently moved to Busan Cinema Center) and Art Theater C+C. Gukdo opened in 2004 in Nampo-dong and moved to Daeyeon-dong in 2008 and has been a home for cinephiles in Busan and nearby areas for the last 10 years. The theater closed its operations on January 31st, 2018 after the building owner had refused to renew its contract. The last month of the theater is recorded in the movie Last Scene.

This is a film about workers, a film about the poor who were dragged out of homes and about his father. Director Park films his father who has lived as a laborer all his life, his weakened body, and nine years of time flowing over it. Park brings an impartial view of his father’s life. His father does not try to impart a particular value in front of the camera. What remains is to wonder where this cruel reality comes from.

Names of Revolution recalls the memories of those who participated in the struggle to rewrite the history of the “Busan-Masan Democratic Protests,” which has been under-represented in modern Korean history. As the then college students, seamstresses, mold technicians, combat police, workers, bus drivers, advertising planners, and photojournalists pour out their memories from over 40 years ago before the camera, vivid words come to life.

In 1988, workers at the 'Busan Working Women's House' study the Labor Standards Act, receive overdue salaries, and take menstrual leave and pre- and post-partum leave. As the subdivided women's movement develops, Busan women also take to the streets to fight against domestic and sexual violence. Around the same time, female students in Busan and South Gyeongsang Province actively campaigned to create school rules to regulate sexual violence in universities. In 2000, Pusan ​​National University's first feminist festival

After graduating from university, Il-ryeong goes back to his hometown, a small village beside the Nakdong River. Ok-nam is his lover and a teacher in his hometown. He cooperates with her in order to enlighten the people and to improve the village. Nakdong River is, along with The Street of Sun (1952) and A Bouquet of Thirty Million People (1951), one of the important films made during the Korean War that the Korean Film Archive has rediscovered and made available to the public.

Each night, a homeless girl stays in abandoned houses to get by. In the winter, she leaves the cold environs of Seoul and heads to Busan, eventually finding an empty house in an abandoned part of town. She starts looking for a way to make a living, but it’s difficult to find a job with no home address, no ID card, and no phone number. She ultimately does find work, but her employer takes advantage of her and ends up firing her without paying any wages. No one seems to be on her side in this harsh and abusive world.