The Truth Shall Not Sink with Sewol
{{Short description|2014 South Korean documentary film}}
{{Infobox film
| name = The Truth Shall Not Sink with Sewol
| image = The Truth Shall Not Sink with Sewol poster.jpg
| caption = Film poster
| director = Lee Sang-ho
Ahn Hae-ryong
| producer =
| writer =
| starring =
| cinematography =
| music =
| editing =
| distributor = Cinemadal
| studio = Asiapress
Cineport
| country = South Korea
| language = Korean
| runtime = 77 minutes
| budget =
| released = {{Film date|2014|10|07|Busan}}
| gross =
}}
The Truth Shall Not Sink with Sewol ({{Korean/auto|hangul=^다이빙벨|rr=yes|lit=Diving Bell}}) is a South Korean documentary film about the sinking of the MV Sewol, directed by Lee Sang-ho and Ahn Hae-ryong.{{cite web|last=Son|first=Jin-ah|title=BIFF 화제작 '다이빙벨', 10월 개봉 확정|url=http://star.mbn.co.kr/view.php?no=1289311&year=2014|website=Maeil Broadcasting Network|accessdate=14 October 2014|date=7 October 2014}}{{cite web|last=Conran|first=Pierce|title=Busan 2014 Review: THE TRUTH SHALL NOT SINK WITH SEWOL Invokes Tears And Outrage|url=http://twitchfilm.com/2014/10/busan-2014-review-the-truth-shall-not-sink-with-sewol-invokes-tears-and-outrage.html|website=Twitch Film|accessdate=16 October 2014|date=15 October 2014}}{{cite web|last=Chang|first=Justin|title=Busan Film Review: 'The Truth Shall Not Sink With Sewol'|url=https://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/busan-film-review-the-truth-shall-not-sink-with-sewol-1201322209/|website=Variety|accessdate=16 October 2014|date=6 October 2014}}{{cite web|last=Borowiec|first=Steven|title=Documentary about Sewol ferry sinking roils South Korea film festival|url=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-south-korea-ferry-truth-shall-not-sink-20141011-story.html|website=Los Angeles Times|accessdate=16 October 2014|date=8 October 2014}}{{cite web|last=Lee|first=Hyo-won|title=Busan: Director Bong Joon Ho Condemns Chairman's Wish to Cancel Documentary Premiere|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/busan-director-bong-joon-ho-737843|work=The Hollywood Reporter|accessdate=16 October 2014|date=3 October 2014}}{{cite web|last=Ahn|first=Sung-mi|title=Sewol sinking documentary screened in Busan despite controversy|url=http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20141007000998|website=The Korea Herald|accessdate=16 October 2014|date=7 October 2014}}{{cite web|last=|first=|title=Festival organizers defend airing S.Korea ferry disaster film|url=http://www.ctvnews.ca/entertainment/festival-organizers-defend-airing-s-korea-ferry-disaster-film-1.2050208|website=CTV News|accessdate=16 October 2014|date=11 October 2014}}
The documentary draws back the curtain on one of the most controversial parts of modern Korean history, the aftermath of the sinking of the MV Sewol, which resulted in the loss of 304 people. Through a variety of news reports and eyewitness testimonies, directors Lee Sang-ho and Ahn Hae-ryong show how the large South Korean media companies colluded with the government over the information about the sinking of the ferry. He highlights the suffering of the victims' families, their quest to discover the cause of the accident, and the truth behind the government's behavior during and after it. The documentary focuses on the use of a diving bell, a piece of equipment that allows divers to stay underwater for long periods of time.
Synopsis
The documentary revolves around the story of Lee Jong-in, who is the head of a private diving company that offered the use of his equipment to assist in the rescue and recovery of the victims. He reportedly showed up during the disaster, with the equipment called a "diving bell" which can provide divers a place underwater to eat and rest, breathe, and can extend the time divers are underwater, and help place a diver in a specific location. While he was at first stonewalled by officials at the site, Lee Jong-in worked at his own expense before canceling his attempts. He was called back to continue work by government authorities after victims' families insisted that he return, but he reportedly found similar roadblocks from government and military officials.{{Cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/truth-not-sink-sewol-laapff-796458|title='The Truth Shall Not Sink With Sewol': LAAPFF Review|last=Lowe|first=Justin|date=May 18, 2015|website=The Hollywood Reporter|language=en|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-03-18}}
==Controversy ==
After its completion, The Truth Shall Not Sink With Sewol was scheduled to screen at the 2014 Busan International Film Festival. However, at the time, the government sought to restrict portrayals of the Sewol ferry disaster within the media. Therefore, the chairman of the festival, Suh Byung-soo (also mayor of Busan at the time) requested that the organizers not screen the film. The organizers resisted the pressure and screened the documentary.{{cite web|title= Families of Ferry Disaster Victims Urge Busan to Cancel Documentary Screening |website= The Hollywood Reporter|url= https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/families-ferry-disaster-victims-urge-737137/#}} This resulted in the film festival budget being slashed by over 50% over the following two years.{{cite web|title= A Short Guide to the Korean Blacklist Scandal |url= http://www.mcc.sllf.qmul.ac.uk/?p=2061}}
The budget cut created a backlash due to news of the state trying to influence the film festival. Many filmmakers boycotted the event, which almost shut down the film festival altogether.
Awards and recognition
The Truth Shall Not Sink With Sewol won the Grand Prize at the Fukuoka Asian Film Festival in 2015.{{cite web|url=http://tsori.net/8193|title=The Truth Shall Not Sink with Sewol|date=3 January 2016|website=www.tsori.net|accessdate=2016-02-12}}
Reception
Joshua Oppenheimer, a film director, was struck by the "incredibly incompetent rescue mission" depicted in the documentary and after viewing the film began to question the role of media in South Korea and the rest of the world.{{Cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/busan-south-korean-ferry-disaster-738254|title=Busan: South Korean Ferry Disaster Documentary Causes a Stir|last=Lee|first=Hyo-won|date=October 6, 2014|website=The Hollywood Reporter|language=en|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-03-18}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{Official website|http://blog.naver.com/diving_bell}} {{in lang|ko}}
- {{KMDb documentary|06210|The Truth Shall Not Sink with Sewol}}
- {{IMDb title|4094088|The Truth Shall Not Sink with Sewol}}
- {{hancinema film|The_Truth_Shall_Not_Sink_with_Sewol}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Truth Shall Not Sink with Sewol, The}}
Category:2010s Korean-language films
Category:South Korean documentary films
Category:Documentary films about maritime disasters
Category:Documentary films about MV Sewol
Category:2014 documentary films
Category:Films directed by Ahn Hae-ryong