[Focus] Given Subsidies, Remove LGBTQ+ Films? The Brutal History of Film Festival Censorship

Daejeon City Demands Withdrawal of 'About Daughter' Women's Film Festival
Boycotts Project Support... Citizen Fundraising, Event Reduction
"Violation of Human Rights and Freedom of Expression" Film Industry Backlash

Movie 'About My Daughter' Still [Photo by Film Company Chanran]

Once again, within a year, the city demanded the withdrawal of a screening of an LGBTQ+ film from a film festival under the pretext of subsidies. The film industry is strongly opposing this as 'censorship' that suppresses freedom of expression.

The Daejeon Women’s Film Festival held on the 5th and 6th was scaled down and proceeded without receiving the originally planned subsidy from Daejeon Metropolitan City. The festival was part of the '2024 Gender Equality Week Daejeon Women’s Cultural Festival,' for which Daejeon City had agreed to provide a subsidy of 13.5 million KRW. However, the women’s organization revealed that on the 30th of last month, Daejeon Metropolitan City suddenly demanded a replacement of the screening films. The reason was that 'Daughter,' included in the lineup, contains content related to sexual minorities, making it inappropriate for a film festival conducted as a subsidized project.

Daejeon City sent an official letter to the women’s organization stating, "There is controversy due to media reports and complaints regarding some of the films screened at the Women’s Film Festival, which is part of the Daejeon Women’s Cultural Festival," and requested, "Please implement the program with content changes or other adjustments to align with the purpose of the local subsidy project." In response, the women’s organization decided to return the entire subsidy. They planned to cover the costs through citizen fundraising and proceed with a scaled-down event. The organization stated in a press release that "Daejeon City’s censorship of the film festival’s screening films is a clear violation of freedom of expression."

The film Daughter (director Lee Mirang) depicts the story of a middle-aged woman working as a non-regular care worker whose daughter brings her same-sex partner home. It is a story of a middle-aged woman reflecting and introspecting upon discovering her daughter’s sexual identity. The film is an adaptation of the best-selling novel of the same name by author Kim Hyejin, published in 2017. Although not a major commercial film, it is a work that has gained attention mainly in independent film theaters. The film has been recognized for its artistic merit, winning awards such as the CGV Award for Best Actress (Oh Min-ae) at the 28th Busan International Film Festival, the Audience Award and CGK Cinematography Award (Kim Ji-ryong) at the 49th Seoul Independent Film Festival, and the Director’s Award (Lee Mirang) at the 12th Muju Mountain Valley Film Festival.

Professor Park Cheol-woong of Mokwon University’s Department of Theater, Film, and Video explained at a press conference on the 2nd, "The film deals with human rights issues beyond just LGBTQ+ matters. It symbolizes people who face discrimination in this land, such as part-time lecturers, elderly people without family ties, and sexual minorities." He added, "'Gender Equality Week' is intended to reflect on the history of discrimination against women and to prohibit discrimination. Here, women represent not only the opposite sex to men but also symbolize those who have been discriminated against. However, Daejeon City is committing an anti-human rights act without understanding the purpose of the event."

Jung Hye-yong, a film selection committee member of the Daejeon Women’s Film Festival, said, "We selected nine invited films on July 30," and raised her voice, "Daejeon City’s demand to withdraw the screening less than a week before the event is an abuse of power that disregards all procedures."

The 'Film Industry Solidarity for Overcoming Crisis,' a coalition of major film organizations including the Korean Independent Film Association, the Korean Film Producers Association, and the Korean Scenario Writers Association, also issued a statement criticizing Daejeon City. The coalition condemned, "Daejeon City treated the 'LGBTQ+ issue' as a 'controversy,' participating in discrimination and exclusion of social members. This is a discriminatory administration violating the purpose of local government subsidy projects and will be recorded as a representative case of infringing on human rights and freedom of expression."

Voices of criticism also emerged from the political sphere. Hong Hee-jin, spokesperson for the Progressive Party, said in a briefing on the 5th, "Daejeon City’s anti-human rights and discriminatory administration itself is subject to condemnation and correction," urging, "Immediately stop discriminatory administration that violates human rights." The Justice Party’s Daejeon branch expressed support in a statement, saying, "We support the righteous decision of the Daejeon Women’s Organization Federation to return the subsidy and proceed with the film festival through citizen fundraising," and "appeal to citizens to participate in the Women’s Cultural Festival, which runs until the 12th, as minorities are also citizens living among us."

This is not the first time. About a year ago, Incheon City faced criticism for discriminatory administration that hates sexual minorities by refusing to provide subsidies if the Incheon Women’s Film Festival included 'queer films.' In May last year, Incheon City selected the Incheon Women’s Film Festival as a subsidy support project and, during discussions on the festival’s direction, requested the organizing committee not to screen queer films. The organizing committee submitted the project execution plan and screening list to Incheon City in June of that year. Incheon City sent an official letter requesting the exclusion of 'controversial subjects such as queer films.' Ultimately, the Incheon Women’s Association and the Incheon Women’s Film Festival organizing committee had to forgo the subsidy and hold the festival through fundraising.

Subsequently, the Incheon Women’s Association, which hosted the Incheon Women’s Film Festival, filed a complaint with the National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) against Incheon City, alleging violations of fundamental rights, equality rights, and freedom of expression. The NHRCK judged Incheon City’s action as discriminatory. The commission decided that Mayor Yoo Jung-bok of Incheon bears the ultimate administrative responsibility and plans to soon deliver a recommendation to establish measures to prevent recurrence.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.