Director Kim Hyun-ji, known for her deeply resonant documentary ‘Adult Kim Jang-ha,’ is back with her new film ‘Namtaeryeong’! The highly anticipated movie has confirmed its release on May 20th and unveiled its main poster. [Directed by: Kim Hyun-ji | Produced by: MBC Gyeongnam | Distributed by: Cinema Dal Co., Ltd.]
‘Namtaeryeong’ is a digital-native reality archive film that captures moments of new solidarity forged both on-site and across X (formerly Twitter). MBC Gyeongnam produced the film, with Cinema Dal Co., Ltd. handling distribution.
The newly unveiled main poster is a stunning collage, showcasing the long night and powerful scenes of solidarity that unfolded at Namtaeryeong. It features citizens gathered in front of police barricades, tractors from the Jeon Bong-jun Struggle Group, comrades from the Metal Workers’ Union Geo-Tong-Go Branch, light sticks, rainbow umbrellas, and various solidarity flags, all grabbing attention.
The poster also features heating buses and supply efforts supporting citizens, a nun guiding people with a light stick, and teacher Ji Hye-bok embracing a comrade on-site. The faces of the film’s interviewees are also visible, highlighting the presence of individuals who stood in solidarity anonymously. A particularly striking detail is the spire climbed by Chairman Kim Hyeong-su, placed at the top of the poster, symbolizing the long and significant period of Namtaeryeong.
The film previously made waves by being selected as the closing film for the 27th Jeonju International Film Festival! At a press conference held on the 8th at the Jeonju Digital Independent Cinema, Director Kim Hyun-ji was joined by cast members Jeon Ju-hwan, Hwang Seung-yu, Kim A-young, and Kim Nul, who shared fascinating insights about the production.
Director Kim Hyun-ji revealed the inspiration behind the film, sharing, “The situation of civil unrest brought despair and helplessness to many content creators. The unique humor I discovered on Twitter offered immense comfort, and I wanted to share that feeling with a wider audience.” She added, “I covered the Jeon Bong-jun Struggle Group, which started from Jinju, right from the beginning, and I felt a strong responsibility as a local broadcasting producer to record this essential story.”
The director also powerfully described the Namtaeryeong site as ‘a space where diverse individuals embraced their differences and discovered the potential for new solidarity,’ emphasizing that it was an experience that transcended regional conflicts between the capital and non-capital areas.
Jeon Ju-hwan, Secretary-General of the Busan-Gyeongnam Federation of the National Farmers’ Federation, who joined the Jeon Bong-jun Struggle Group’s tractor procession, also shared his powerful experience. He recalled, “December 21st was a truly special day, unlike any other. I was prepared that we might not reach Seoul and could even face arrest, but it was a solidarity made possible only because so many diverse people and voices came together.” He added that his time at Namtaeryeong brought about significant personal change.
The film ‘Namtaeryeong’ is a powerful record of the potential for democracy and solidarity in everyday life, transcending regional, generational, and identity divides. It captures countless voices that spread through social media and 28 hours of on-site events. The documentary is especially garnering attention as the first film to directly shine a light on the ‘Namtaeryeong’ events of that pivotal day.
