Harvesting the Light: The Graves of DiasporaHarvesting the Light: The Graves of Diaspora

 The light emitted by a burning fire is self-sacrificing. It destroys itself and emits all the last small breaths with resplendent light. The directors carefully call out the tombstones and portraits of Goryeo people who passed away by adding lights and colors that they could not have, due to historical violence. Also the film describes them as the most colorful and beautiful “Hwagwang” to Korean audiences who have forgotten their existence. Korea is the hometown of Goryeo people. However, referred to the confession of Kazakh writer Han Jin from North Korea, quoted by the directors, the land where they were buried has another important meaning to them as much as their hometown. Under the idea that blood ties and roots are the core of ethnicity, the land where they were buried is meaningless. The directors transform the land where they are buried into a new utopia with imaginary plants and surreal moods, not a geopolitical place with a fixed ‘address’. “What would you like to call this place?” (LEE Dong-yun)