THIS WEDNESDAY: April 3, 2025 at 3:30 PM
Allen Auditorium
Voices (2024) offers a powerful account of the Jeju 4.3 Incident, focusing on the narratives of the women who endured its horrors. It presents a harrowing depiction of the unique burden these women carried, not only as victims of state-sanctioned violence but also as survivors of sexual assault, often compounded by the shame and stigma that followed. In the spring of 1948, a village on Jeju Island saw its young women seized and executed. One woman survived, but the trauma of her experience kept her silent, manifesting in seizures whenever she tried to speak. For the next seven years, Jeju became a place of fear and violence. Under the pretext of fighting communist guerrillas, South Korean forces carried out a massacre, killing an estimated 30,000 residents and destroying countless homes. Women were disproportionately affected, yet their suffering was largely overlooked for decades. This documentary, informed by the work of a dedicated Jeju 4.3 researcher, finally gives voice to these long-silenced women.
Dr. Emily Hall (Department of Asian Languages & Literature) will lead the discussion following the screening.