250:, Grandma Adela manages to find solace, camaraderie, and a sense of freedom as part of a support group for other survivors. Though she found love after the war, she carefully hid the truth about her past from her husband. Now widowed, she is wracked with feelings of guilt for not sharing her secret. She resolves to tell her children but remains unsure whether unburdening herself after all these years will make up for withholding the truth from the love of her life.
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experiences. These moments also reveal the many complex choices the grandmothers have had to navigate throughout their lives – and continue to navigate—as survivors. It becomes painfully clear that the past lives on, along with the challenges the inheritors of their legacy will continue to face.
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Hsiung, who worked on the project for nearly a decade, has said that she encountered reluctance at times to re-opening such a painful topic: "One of the other challenges was speaking to villagers in China, for instance, who would not understand why I wanted to make a film on this topic. There is
216:
As the film unfolds, their history and the struggles that have shaped them and continue to impact their lives come into view. Intimate scenes of daily routines and affectionate exchanges with friends and loved ones provide a glimpse into how they have managed to carry on despite their traumatic
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Grandma Cao lives in a remote village surrounded by mountains in rural China, where what happened to hundreds of local girls after they were kidnapped has long been an open secret among the old-timers. Fiercely independent, Grandma Cao insists on living alone despite the protests of her loyal
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ongoing resistance to talking about atrocities because there is some shame about how they were even allowed to happen." She had also been concerned that her three elderly subjects might not live to see the finished film, during such a long production process.
213:—face their twilight years in fading health. After decades of living in silence and shame about their past, they know that time is running out to give a first-hand account of the truth and ensure that this horrific chapter of history is not forgotten.
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or summoning the courage to finally share their secret with loved ones, their resolve moves them forward as they seize this last chance to set future generations on a course for reconciliation, healing, and justice.
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daughter, who has been unaware of her mother's story. It is only when a historian requests her testimony of her experiences that
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for years. Despite her age and declining health, Grandma Gil remains a key spokesperson in the movement for
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from the
Japanese government. Her exhausting travels eventually take her to the hallowed halls of the
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466:"Activist group on mission to collect 100 million signatures for comfort women – The Korea Times"
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441:"Documentary on WWII "comfort women" reflects National Film Board's commitment to gender parity"
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to deliver a petition with over a million signatures on behalf of her fellow survivors.
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309:'s Vision Awards. The following month, it received the Audience Award at the 2016
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in
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The Hot Docs
Canadian International Film Festival Big Ideas Series
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552:"Busan: Vision Awards Go to South Korean Indie Filmmakers"
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Some 70 years after their imprisonment in so-called “
656:"The Apology Revisits Issue of WWII Sexual Slavery"
253:Whether they are seeking a formal apology from the
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1154:Documentary films about violence against women
266:The film features three former comfort women:
1134:Documentary films about women in World War II
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303:Hot Docs Canadian International Film Festival
177:. The film is produced by Anita Lee for the
1149:Documentary films about Japanese war crimes
1139:National Film Board of Canada documentaries
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652:at the National Film Board of Canada
301:had its world premiere at the 2016
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583:. 22 November 2016. Archived from
16:Documentary film by Tiffany Hsiung
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700:Special Jury Award (1969–present)
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307:Busan International Film Festival
550:Hyo-won, Lee (14 October 2016).
360:"'The Apology': Hot Docs Review"
286:Activists Zhang Shuang Bing and
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1144:Documentary films about slavery
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514:National Film Board of Canada,
995:Special Mention (2015–present)
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1164:Films scored by Lesley Barber
358:Scheck, Frank (19 May 2016).
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197:”, the three “grandmothers”—
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90:National Film Board of Canada
1174:2010s English-language films
489:Knight, Chris (2016-12-01).
414:Garcia, Maria (2017-06-09).
317:in 2018, it then won a 2018
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1076:Centenary Award (2012–2014)
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209:, and Grandma Adela in the
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607:"The Best Stories of 2018"
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19:Not to be confused with
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1169:2016 documentary films
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364:The Hollywood Reporter
171:Imperial Japanese Army
1093:Kamaleshwar Mukherjee
810:Golam Rabanny Biplab
1179:2010s Canadian films
470:www.koreatimesus.com
161:about three former “
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774:Subhadro Chowdhury
707:Lester James Peries
587:on 29 November 2016
255:Japanese government
229:an official apology
897:Julia Vargas-Weise
332:Within Every Woman
313:. After airing on
311:Cork Film Festival
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737:Santwana Bardoloi
445:National Observer
205:, Grandma Cao in
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609:. 24 June 2019
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611:. Retrieved
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175:World War II
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122:Running time
98:Release date
66:Mary Stephen
21:
945:Kamen Kalev
935:Pema Tseden
907:Lee Joon-ik
877:Lucy Mulloy
727:Sobhan Babu
649:The Apology
633:The Apology
591:28 November
561:28 November
517:The Apology
450:28 November
394:28 November
369:28 November
299:The Apology
281:Cao Hei Mao
211:Philippines
203:South Korea
199:Grandma Gil
150:The Apology
126:104 minutes
47:Produced by
37:Directed by
32:The Apology
1129:2016 films
1123:Categories
801:Abu Sayeed
791:Tom Hooper
747:Huo Jianqi
717:Mrinal Sen
658:, NFB Blog
523:2020-03-22
500:2016-12-05
475:2016-04-11
425:2017-06-09
340:References
271:Gil Won-Ok
248:Roxas City
221:Gil Won-Ok
153:is a 2016
109:2016-04-30
82:Production
1083:Mira Nair
1020:Chezhiyan
972:Lav Diaz
887:Onur ĂśnlĂĽ
63:Edited by
50:Anita Lee
389:CBC News
325:See also
189:Synopsis
139:Language
71:Music by
757:Revathi
294:Release
173:during
169:by the
142:English
131:Country
107: (
84:company
22:Apology
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262:Cast
636:at
315:PBS
246:In
235:in
201:in
157:by
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