The Last Battle of Midopa
Korea | Film 80min, TV 50min | 4K | Color+B&W
Logline
Sumita Kim continues her relentless fight to restore the honor of her late mother, Chun Kyung-Ja, who was silenced by the Forgery of Beautiful Woman scandal.
Synopsis
After her mother's passing, Sumita Kim, the second daughter, began a legal battle to restore her mother's honor. She sued over the alleged forgery, initially losing. Undeterred, she won a subsequent information disclosure request, gaining access to prosecution files. She then used Lumière Optical Institute's analysis of Chun Kyung-ja's works and the alleged forgery to reveal "seven secret codes" of her mother's paintings. However, before all truths could emerge, Sumita Kim, at 70, suffered a stroke in December 2024. This film documents her fight and illuminates Chun Kyung-ja's remarkable art.
Director's Statement
This film, Midopa's Last Struggle, illuminates Chun Kyung-ja's unique artistic world, chronicling an artist's fight to defend her identity and beliefs. It simultaneously exposes how truth gets buried by power and systems, and how an individual's voice can be ignored.
Director KANG Hojun
Kang Ho-jun has directed documentaries since 1995. He won a Special Award at the Berlin International Folk Film Festival for Mother and Son, directed Farming Boys and School of Rock, and received the 2021 Korea Popular Culture and Arts Award for directing.
Producer YOON Jiyoung
Yoon Ji-young, an award-winning KBS documentary AD, transitioned to art via Sotheby's after roles at Daum/IBM. She published We Cannot Be Silent and spearheaded Chun Kyung-ja's centennial marketing and funding.