'1987 Busan There' ... Dong-Eui University and Busan Transportation Broadcasting Produce Feature-Length Documentary

The Department of Film Studies at Dong-Eui University and TBN Busan Traffic Broadcasting (Busan TBN) are co-producing a feature-length documentary titled "1987 Busan - Were You There Then?" which covers the democratization movement in Busan in 1987.

The Department of Film Studies at Dong-Eui University will produce the feature-length documentary film, while Busan TBN will produce a radio documentary, aiming for film festival submissions and theatrical release.

The project is being carried out with support from Dong-Eui University's LINC 3.0 Industry-Academia Collaboration Program and the Film & Transmedia Research Institute. Professors and students from the Department of Film Studies at Dong-Eui University are participating as key production staff in filming, editing, sound, directing, and production departments.

This documentary project was inspired by the photograph "Ah! My Homeland" taken by Ko Myung-jin, a photojournalist from Hankook Ilbo, which symbolizes the 1987 democratization movement.

The project participants plan to produce an experimental essay documentary that recreates memories of the time by searching for the protagonist in the photograph and interviewing people who participated in the protests.

Professor Cha Min-cheol of the Department of Film Studies at Dong-Eui University, who is the executive producer of the documentary, said, "We hope this documentary will allow memories of South Korea's democratization movement to be shared across various generations."

Documentary filming scene.

Director Kim Dae-hwang, who is in charge of directing, explained, "We plan to reflect on the spatiality of Busan, which was at the center of the democratization movement, and the temporality of the person in the photograph through various variations."

Kim Do-young, producer at Busan TBN responsible for the radio documentary production, emphasized, "We hope this will be an opportunity to record the heated democratization struggle in Busan in June 1987 and to bring renewed attention to Busan's democratization movement, which has received less spotlight compared to Seoul."

The project began planning in January of this year with the goal of final completion in June 2024. Research and preliminary reporting were completed in May, and filming started in June.

Alongside the documentary production, they plan to receive tips about the people in the "Ah! My Homeland" photograph and the youth featured in it through banners, flyers, and social media, seeking those who were present at the scene depicted in the photo.