Korean War Commemorative Screening: Forbidden Fatherland

Forbidden Fatherland focuses on listening to memories, pain, and the lived experiences of those forced to leave their families behind. It gives voice to those who grew up with absent relatives, to families marked by the trauma of displacement, and to the enduring sense of longing that persists 75 years later.

The filmmaker, Kim Lyang, is a documentary director and the founder of Zone Film Productions in Busan, Korea. Her work explores human resilience and the power to endure and create. Forbidden Fatherland was awarded Best International Documentary at the 8th New York Independent Cinema Awards.

Commemorating the 75th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War on 25 June 1950, this programme is a moment of remembrance for the countless lives forever changed by the devastation of war.

+ Intro by Hyunseon Lee, Ph.D. habil., is a Professorial Research Associate at the School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics at SOAS University of London, and a Privatdozentin in German and Media Studies at the University of Siegen, Germany

• Forbidden Fatherland
  바다로 가자
  Directed by Kim Lyang
  72 min | 2019 | Korea | Colour | Korean with English Subtitles | UK Premiere

Director Kim Lyang follows her father after his Parkinson’s diagnosis to better understand him and his past. At the outbreak of the Korean War, he was forced to flee his home and leave his family behind in the North. Through conversations, Kim asks him about his experiences during the war, his family, and his seaside hometown.

As her journey unfolds, she meets others from her father’s village and their families, asking how they grew up, what they remember, and what they lost when they left. She discovers stories that mirror her father’s. She asks them how they remember their hometown and what they may miss.

Forbidden Fatherland explores the enduring impact of forced diaspora. Life continues, families grow, but the longing to see the street where one grew up never fully fades. How can generations begin to heal? Can divided families ever be reunited? Kim Lyang remains hopeful—hopeful for the day she can see her father’s hometown.