The Truth Shall Not Sink with Sewol

The Truth Shall Not Sink with Sewol (Korean: 다이빙벨; RR: Daibingbel; lit. Diving bell) is a South Korean documentary film about the sinking of the MV Sewol, directed by Lee Sang-ho and Ahn Hae-ryong.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7] Director Ahn said about this film "Families of the deceased are also important and I understand their sorrow, but we need to throw a question to reveal the truth.[8]

The Truth Shall Not Sink with Sewol
Film poster
Directed byLee Sang-ho
Ahn Hae-ryong
Production
company
Asiapress
Cineport
Distributed byCinemadal
Release date
  • October 7, 2014 (2014-10-07) (Busan)
Running time
77 minutes
CountrySouth Korea
LanguageKorean

Style

The documentary revolves around the story of Lee Jong-in, who is the head of a private diving company who offered the use of his equipment to assist in the rescue and recovery of the victims. He reportedly showed up during the disaster, with the equipment called a "diving bell" which can provide divers a place underwater to eat and rest, breath, and can extend the time divers are underwater, and help place a diver in a specific location.[4] While he was at first stonewalled by officials at the site, Lee Jong-in worked at his own expense before canceling his attempts. He was called back to continue work by government authorities, after victims families insisted that he return, but he reportedly found similar road blocks from government and military officials.[9]

Awards and recognition

It won Grand Prize at the Fukuoka Asian Film Festival in 2015.[10]

Criticism

The co-director of the film Lee Sang-ho, has been criticized for bias in reporting coverage of the ferry disaster and took up the work of the documentary project after his dismissal from the national broadcaster Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation, for allegedly becoming too personally involved in the initial stages of the disaster.[9]

Prior to the film festival opening, earlier in the month family members of some of the victims hand-delivered a letter of protest to the Mayor of Busan Seo Byung-soo to protest the film. The families also held a press conference against the film stating it was a "one-sided claim" that "hurts bereaved families wishing to move on".[11]

Reactions

The documentary was reportedly almost not allowed to be screened in the city of Busan, after the Mayor reportedly claimed the film was too political for the film festival, as it was partially funded with taxpayer money.[4]

Joshua Oppenheimer, a film director was struck by the "incredibly incompetent rescue mission" depicted in the documentary and after viewing the film began to question the role of media in South Korea and the rest of the world.[12]

References
  1. Jin-ah, Son (7 October 2014). "BIFF 화제작 '다이빙벨', 10월 개봉 확정". MBN. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
  2. Conran, Pierce (15 October 2014). "Busan 2014 Review: THE TRUTH SHALL NOT SINK WITH SEWOL Invokes Tears And Outrage". Twitch Film. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  3. Chang, Justin (6 October 2014). "Busan Film Review: 'The Truth Shall Not Sink With Sewol'". Variety. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  4. Borowiec, Steven (8 October 2014). "Documentary about Sewol ferry sinking roils South Korea film festival". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  5. Hyo-won, Lee (3 October 2014). "Busan: Director Bong Joon Ho Condemns Chairman's Wish to Cancel Documentary Premiere". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  6. Sung-mi, Ahn (7 October 2014). "Sewol sinking documentary screened in Busan despite controversy". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  7. "Festival organizers defend airing S.Korea ferry disaster film". CTV News. 11 October 2014. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  8. "'다이빙벨'은 시작일 뿐..."세월호 연장전 돌입한다"". Oh my news.
  9. Lowe, Justin (May 18, 2015). "'The Truth Shall Not Sink With Sewol': LAAPFF Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
  10. "The Truth Shall Not Sink with Sewol". www.tsori.net. 3 January 2016. Retrieved 2016-02-12.
  11. Lee, Hyo-won (October 1, 2014). "Families of Ferry Disaster Victims Urge Busan to Cancel Documentary Screening". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
  12. Lee, Hyo-won (October 6, 2014). "Busan: South Korean Ferry Disaster Documentary Causes a Stir". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2020-03-18.


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