Botayama; The Tomb of Forgotten Stones
Korea | Film 80min, TV 50min | 2K | Color
Logline
Two elders cross the border between Korea and Japan to bring home the remains of forced-labor victims—asking us, today, what dignity for the dead and true reconciliation really mean.
Synopsis
This documentary follows those who fight to bring the remains of Korean forced-labor victims back to their homeland. For thirty years, historian Kim Moon-gil and his Japanese friend Kiriyu Junichi have walked the sites of this history, and through their relentless devotion the deceased have finally returned home to their families. Their lifelong effort—now a mission of our era, yet one that goes largely unnoticed—may offer a vital thread toward untangling the fraught relationship between Korea and Japan.
Director's Statement
It began with a simple purpose: to restore those who perished unjustly under Japanese forced labor as human beings—each with a name and a family. Relations between Korea and Japan have long been stagnant by political conflicts, and the repatriation of the victims' remains has been caught within that same deadlock. This film, however, records a different path—one that moves beyond the relationship between nation and nation, crossing that wall through the shared humanity and trust between the people of Korea and Japan.
Director YI Jaegu
An independent producer-director currently working in documentary filmmaking. Graduated from the Sydney Film School and received Masters degree at University of Sydney.
Director & Producer LEE Hanbyul
Currently a broadcast producer-director at TBS, while also producing independent films.