Monday, May 18 at 7:00pm: Join MSPIFF and Land of My Father director Matt Koshmrl for a live Q&A and conversation about the film and to take your questions.
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Director Biography
Born and raised in Minnesota, Matthew Koshmrl is a filmmaker and cinematographer now headquartered in Chisholm, MN. He is the recipient of the Congressional Antarctic Service Medal for filming a paleontological expedition commissioned by the National Science Foundation. He is a faculty member at St. Edward’s University, Austin Community College, and the Austin School of Film.
About the film
WATCH MOVIE
SNEAK PREVIEW. Byeong-man is a farmer whose father was abducted by the Japanese during the occupation of Korea, and enslaved in a coal mine on the island territory of Dokdo-ri. Today, when Japan tries to lay claim to the island group, Gwang-min is stirred to protest. Minnesota director Matthew Koshmrl follows Byeong-man and others in examining Korea’s vast trauma in the years just prior to and during World War II.
The stories are legion: a Korean woman living on Dokdo-ri with her father during the war now fights for recognition, as the the Korean government also, for no apparent reason, seeks to erase their history. Another sees a North Korean escapee who views Dokdo-ri as another way to fight for Korea, like his grandfather before him. With unprecedented access, director Koshmrl, who lived and worked in South Korea as a teacher, was able to film on the island--visitors typically are constrained to a small platform and get but 30 minutes--and recount what the island means to them.
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