The Pregnant Tree and the Goblin (2019)

A film screening and Q&A with Dongryung Kim and Kyoungtae Park

When
4 to 7 p.m., Dec. 1, 2023

As a sequel to Tour of Duty (2012), this film tells a history of US military presence in South Korea. Park Insun has become an orphan during the Korean War, and she has been a former US military comfort woman. Living in a village adjacent to the US military base in Uijungbu for more than 40 years, she feels distressed when the base is going to be torn down. 

On a cold winter night, she finds out the death of her colleague and follows her silent funeral. Insun is spotted by the Death Messenger who showed up to investigate the wandering ghosts to take them to the afterlife. While the Death Messengers are making up stories for the ghosts, Insun refuses to give in and creates her own story of resistance against exploitation and victimhood.

After the conclusion of the film, there will be a Q&A session with directors Dongryung Kim and Kyoungtae Park.

This event is part of “Wonders and Witness: Contemporary Photography from Korea” an exhibition of Korean photographic works.

It is sponsored by the following organizations:
The Center for Creative Photography, Arizona Arts, the Center for East Asian Studies, East Asian Studies Department, and the School of Government and Public Policy.

This event is free and open to the public.

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the pregnant tree and the goblin flyer