Sewol Ferry Documentary '10 Years After Sinking, Zero Sum' Surpasses 10,000 Viewers

Ahead of the 11th anniversary of the Sewol ferry disaster, the documentary film Sinking 10 Years, Zero Sum, which was released in theaters on the 2nd of this month, has surpassed 10,000 cumulative viewers as of the 11th. It is unusual for an independent documentary film to exceed 10,000 viewers. Moreover, before its theatrical release, the film had already attracted over 6,000 viewers through community screenings both domestically and internationally, thanks to the voluntary efforts of citizen distribution committee members.

Sinking 10 Years, Zero Sum is the only film related to the Sewol ferry disaster released in theaters ahead of the 11th anniversary of the April 16 tragedy. Unlike other Sewol-related films, this documentary does not merely serve as a memorial but raises "reasonable suspicions" about the still unknown causes of the sinking and the reasons why passengers were not rescued, garnering interest and praise from audiences.

Film critic Oh Dong-jin described the documentary Sinking 10 Years, Zero Sum as "a work that has persistently uncovered the truth over the ten years from April 16, 2014, to April 2024, and a film filled with genuine feelings for the Sewol children." He also said, "This film reconstructs the incident with the most rational arguments, reawakening and realerting viewers to the truth of the Sewol ferry disaster," adding, "The director drives a wedge into people's hearts by asking, 'Is your Sewol over?'"

Director Yoon Sol-ji emphasized, "No investigation has definitively confirmed either the internal cause theory or the external force theory as the cause of the sinking. No one truly knows why the Sewol sank or why the children were not rescued, so how can anyone say we should stop talking about Sewol now?" She added, "This film was created by the collective will of citizens hoping it will be a starting point to uncover the undisclosed truth of the tragedy."

The documentary Sinking 10 Years, Zero Sum is currently being screened nationwide at CGV, Lotte Cinema, and Megabox theaters, with community screenings also ongoing across the country thanks to the efforts of about 1,500 citizen distribution committee members. The film’s production company, Fourth Moon, and distributor, Korea Smart Cooperative, have also announced that they are currently pursuing worldwide overseas distribution of the film.