I should have posted this entry a month ago..but due to my tight schedule of jotting down entries into my blog...I kept on postponing it.
I got a marvelous chance of attending the 18th Human Rights Film Festival in Cheonggyecheon, downtown Seoul.
Lots of visitors, enthusiasts flocked to the venue: an open space in the middle of downtown Seoul: Gwanghwamun area. More importantly, it is near Cheonggyecheon gate where tourists come and go endlessly...
사람은 누가나 VIP입니다. Everone is VIP.
Yes..it's posted on each seat.
Ok...now one thing that I want to highlight on this event is the fact that LGBT or Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender-themed movies were being screened on a broad daylight ..not inside the dark-light cinema..BUT on the very venue of this event: an open air where everyone can see and talk about it.
hmm..see the rainbow flag?
Lots of high school students came and see the venue. And it's pretty darn an impressive thing to see such an event in Korea.
Come on...it IS in Korea: a country, despite all of its bulky development, still retains its conservative values on issues such LGBT.
So...the fact that this kind of film festival attracted lots of enthusiasts, even high school students (as shown above)...is enough to give me a NOD that something is coming.
Something is changing.
(Suray..don't judge it..too soon).
Well...of course it would be biased if I only mentioned that this event only screened LGBT-themed movies. no, it's not. In fact, human right related themes such as the labor, foreign labor, environmentalist, and other issues that sprung up in the minds of those supporting the issues...were right there on the spot.
People were enthusiastically paying attention to the after-show talk with the directors, actors, actress of the films being shown.
I could not see a better view of the cast of the movies. One of the best things about it was that..I learned that even a high school made her debut film on sensitive issue related to LGBT. And to make it even adoring..was that..she got supports from her peers, school, and parents. Is that so?hmmmmm
One thing for sure..: I was so glad to be among these people who seemed to be so open-minded about issues worth-talking about in Korea.
And..Rainbow flag...though small it may look like..it was enough to denote 'the change of time of time in Korean society....
*Lots of people were about to sign the petition for LBGT rights in Korea.
They just came and signed up...
People discussing, looking at the schedule of the movies to be screened, all in one place...unimaginable to take place in an open air like this.
Petition to Sign: Come Out and Sign Up yourself.
This has been my experience of seeing the 'changing Korea'
*no matter how small it may be to others.
