Both you and your sister are very artistically inclined (you to film, she to music). How are stories of your family heritage passed on, and how have they informed the way you tell stories today?

Our family has realized, early on, the importance of documenting important events and passing them on to the next generation. This tradition has started with my great-grandmother (on my mother’s side) who had a picture perfect memory and would constantly tell other family members about past events. Her family had moved to the northeastern part of China, at the turn of the century, and was involved in educating and mobilizing the Korean people to fight for independence. With the division of the two Koreas, this part of our history had been largely forgotten, so my great-grandmother felt the need to revive this part of Korea’s modern history. Her stories were tape-recorded by family members and later published by her granddaughters as a book. I don’t know if this tradition of documenting family history had any direct influence on my filmmaking, but the importance of telling both socially and historically relevant stories surely did.  

What have you learnt - about yourself, your family history, Korea, Canada, and filmmaking through this movie?

The biggest reward of this film, for me, is that I have found a sense of belonging – in Korea and in film. I’ve always had trouble in telling people my background of reverse migration. Coming from a first world country was always considered a privilege in Korea, so when I first released the film, I was worried that the audience might not relate to my family’s particular story. However, the overwhelming response I received from the audience in Korea took away such anxiety; I felt accepted and finally comfortable in sharing my story. This also led to a boost in my confidence as a filmmaker. I now know that I am capable of telling a truthful and compelling story, and that the audience will respond when I do so. 

Your film included previously marginalized individuals on a few levels - dignifying single mothers, the family, the Korean-Canadian experience, and migration. What audiences did it connect with, both in the East and West?

Because there were two strong female characters dealing with single-motherhood in the film – my sister, the courageous single-mom and my understanding mother – the film resonated with women of all ages in Korea. Since the issue of single-motherhood is still strongly taboo, many Koreans were glad to see a family that tried to overcome the societal pressures. The film also spoke to people who related to the experience of migration and the struggle to find one’s place in this world – the Korean Diaspora, overseas students, Korean adoptees, foreigners living in Korea, third culture kids, etc. Though the issue of single-motherhood is less of an issue for the Western audience, it seemed to be well received as a story of a family overcoming past trauma and differences. It was truly rewarding to see how universal the film’s theme of family and belonging could be, as it transcended physical boarders and cultural boundaries.