Nearly seven months after the Jeju April 3 Uprising archives were officially added to UNESCO's Memory of the World Register, a powerful new film is preparing to bring this tragic chapter of Korean history back to the forefront of public consciousness. The movie "Hallan," starring acclaimed actress Kim Hyang-gi, is scheduled to hit theaters nationwide on November 26, offering audiences an intimate look at one of the darkest periods in modern Korean history.
The film follows the harrowing story of Ah-jin, a mother desperately trying to protect her six-year-old daughter Haesaeng, played by young actress Kim Min-chae, while they hide in the dense forests of Mount Halla during the late 1940s. As police forces and soldiers hunt for civilians throughout Jeju Island, the mother and daughter must survive in the wilderness while facing constant danger. The film's title, "Hallan," takes its name from a species of orchid that grows naturally on Jeju Island, symbolizing the delicate beauty that persists even in harsh conditions.
Director Ha Myung-mi revealed during a press conference in Seoul on Wednesday that her personal connection to Jeju Island inspired her to create this deeply emotional film. "In 2013, I moved to Jeju Island," Ha explained. "Every year, I participated in the memorial ceremony for the uprising. But just feeling sad didn't seem like enough – I felt guilty toward the islanders." The director continued, "I began to wonder how I could truly empathize with them, and I realized that understanding their stories could be a way to share that sorrow. That's exactly why I decided to make this film."
The Jeju April 3 Uprising, which began in 1948, emerged from mounting tensions surrounding Korea's political division and government repression of local residents. What started as civilian protests against authoritarian policies quickly escalated into a brutal conflict when government forces launched a massive counterinsurgency campaign against the island's population. The state's violent response resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of innocent civilians, many of whom were women, children, and elderly residents with no involvement in political activities.
For decades following the massacre, acknowledgment of the tragedy remained suppressed under Korea's authoritarian governments, with survivors and families of victims unable to speak openly about their experiences. However, in recent years, the South Korean government has officially recognized these events as a state-led massacre, acknowledging the immense human cost of ideological conflict that tore through Korean society during this turbulent period.
"Hallan" joins a growing number of films that have tackled this sensitive subject matter in recent years. Last year's release "Until the Stones Speak" was among several movies that have attempted to shed light on these tragic events and honor the memory of those who suffered. Director Ha Myung-mi explained that both her personal childhood experiences and extensive research into historical documents provided the creative foundation for her film.
"I once got lost on a mountain when I was about four or five years old," Ha recalled during the press conference. "When I think back to that terrifying experience, it reminds me of the women and children who were forced to hide on Mount Halla during that horrible time." She continued, "As those personal memories and emotions overlapped with what I learned about the uprising, I felt a deep emotional connection forming, and that powerful feeling became the primary inspiration for this entire project."
For lead actress Kim Hyang-gi, taking on this role provided an educational opportunity to learn about a crucial but often overlooked period of Korean history. "I didn't know very much about the uprising before I started working on this film," Kim admitted. "It gave me a chance to understand the trauma that Jeju residents still carry with them today." However, she noted that mastering the local Jeju dialect proved to be the most challenging aspect of her preparation for the role.
The complexity of the Jeju dialect presented significant challenges for the entire production team, as the regional language is notoriously difficult even for native Korean speakers from other parts of the country. Because of this linguistic barrier, the film includes Korean subtitles to help mainland audiences understand the dialogue. "Achieving fluency in the dialect was our absolute top priority," Director Ha emphasized. "Officially, we had five expert reviewers working with us because the Jeju dialect actually varies significantly depending on the specific region of the island."
The production team took extraordinary measures to ensure linguistic accuracy throughout the film. "Altogether, approximately ten different people reviewed our script multiple times to ensure complete accuracy in our use of the dialect," Ha explained. "We wanted to honor the authentic voices of the people whose stories we were telling, so getting the language exactly right was essential to the integrity of our project."
Before its Korean theatrical release, "Hallan" gained international recognition when it was featured at the prestigious Aichi International Women's Film Festival in September. The film subsequently had its Korean premiere on Jeju Island in late October, a symbolic gesture that honored the island's history and allowed local residents to be among the first to see their story portrayed on screen.
Director Ha expressed pleasant surprise at the positive reception the film received at international screenings. "The film was very well received wherever we showed it," Ha noted. "I was particularly surprised by the strong interest and emotional response we got from Japanese audiences, who seemed deeply moved by the story despite it being about events in Korean history."
With its nationwide release scheduled for November 26, "Hallan" represents another important step in South Korea's ongoing efforts to confront difficult chapters of its past and ensure that the victims of historical tragedies are properly remembered and honored.
