Fall 2025 Film Series
Voicing Intergenerational Trauma in Postwar Korea and Japan through Contemporary Cinema
The film series Voicing Intergenerational Trauma in Postwar Korea and Japan through Contemporary Cinema explores how trauma is experienced intergenerationally in the family within the context of East Asia. Research demonstrates that trauma has lasting effects that reverberate beyond the victims who directly experience it (Cai and Lee 2022; Cho 2006). Families are the primary site where trauma is experienced and transferred across generations. This series sheds light on how these dynamics play out through a gendered lens within the context of East Asia, which has been profoundly shaped by ethnocentric violence during the Japanese imperial period and World War II, as well as social and economic upheaval following the outbreak of civil wars and the spread of Cold War politics in the 20th century.
The series is organized by Amanda Kennell, assistant professor of East Asian Languages and Cultures, Cecilia Kim, assistant professor of Film, Television, & Theatre, Paul Lee, PhD student in sociology and peace studies, and Ricky Herbst, cinema program director for the Browning Cinema, DeBartolo Performing Arts Center.
The series is sponsored by the Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies, DeBartolo Performing Arts Center, and Hesburgh Libraries/Navari Family Center for Digital Scholarship with support from the Franco Family Institute for Liberal Arts and the Public Good, College of Arts & Letters, University of Notre Dame.
Tickets
Tickets are $4-7 for the general public and are free for ND, SMC, HC, and IUSB students. Contact the box office at 574-631-2800 or visit performingarts.nd.edu.
Little Forest (2018)
Thursday, September 25 at 6:30 p.m.
Browning Cinema, DeBartolo Performing Arts Center
Director: Yim Soon-rye
Presented by Cecilia Kim, Assistant Professor of Film Production
A young woman returns to her rural childhood home, and with it, a life of farming and homemade meals. But with the passing of seasons, she finds that not all the answers can be found in the countryside.
Sponsored by the Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies, DeBartolo Performing Arts Center, and Franco Family Institute for Liberal Arts and the Public Good.
The Book of Distance (2020) - A Virtual Reality Experience
Monday, September 29 - Monday, October 6, 2025
Hesburgh Library AND 2148 Jenkins Nanovic Hall
Sign up for the VR experience, available Sept. 29 through Oct. 6.
Director: Randall Okita
Presented by Amanda Kennell, Assistant Professor of Japanese Literature
In 1935, Yonezo Okita left his home in Hiroshima, Japan, and began a new life in Canada. Then war and state-sanctioned racism changed everything—he became the enemy. Three generations later, his grandson, artist Randall Okita, leads us on an interactive virtual pilgrimage through an emotional geography of immigration and family to recover what was lost.
Defectors (2023)
Thursday, October 30 at 6:30 p.m.
Browning Cinema, DeBartolo Performing Arts Center
Director: Hyun Kyung Kim
Presented by Paul Lee, Ph.D. Student in Peace Studies and Sociology
Combining a humorous and affectionate family portrait, a historical film and a search for identity, Defectors confronts the impact of the Korean War on different generations. Through encounters with a North Korean defector, Hyun Kyung Kim reflects on her separation from her loved ones — such as her whimsical mother, whom she left behind in Korea upon moving to the United States.
Learning Beyond the Classics at DeBartolo Performing Arts Center
Join the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center for a wider perspective on Asian cinema this fall on Thursday nights at 6:30 p.m.
- September 18 - Tokyo Story (1953)
- September 25 - Little Forest (2018) with director Yim Soon Rye
- October 2 - Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
- October 9 - Mal-Mo-E (2019) (also part of Korea Week 2025)
- October 16 - Shoplifters (2018)
- October 30 - Defectors (2023) with director Hyun Kyung Kim
- November 6 - Death by Hanging (1968)
- November 13 - The Handmaiden (2016)
The film series Voicing Intergenerational Trauma in Postwar Korea and Japan through Contemporary Cinema explores how trauma is experienced intergenerationally in the family within the context of East Asia. Research demonstrates that trauma has lasting effects that reverberate beyond the victims who directly experience it. Families are the primary site where trauma is experienced and transferred across generations. This series sheds light on how these dynamics play out through a gendered lens within the context of East Asia, which has been profoundly shaped by ethnocentric violence during the Japanese imperial period and World War II, as well as social and economic upheaval following the outbreak of civil wars and the spread of Cold War politics in the 20th century.
About Learning Beyond the Classics
Learning Beyond the Classics brings the film studies classroom experience to the general public. The series includes a weekly reading, introductions from film experts, and a discussion after the film. All are welcome to sign up for the series. Come to explore and appreciate classic films at a new level.
Cost
Packages are available for purchase until October 2. The $32 fee includes one ticket package to all 8 screenings in the series and access to the course readings, introductions, and discussions.
Attendance is not mandatory, but there are no refunds or exchanges for dates not attended. As with other ticket packages, you may purchase multiple in a single transaction by selecting the number of seats to add to your shopping cart. All seating for the course is general admission. Enrollment and screenings are free for university and high school students.
Co-presented by: David A. Heskin and Marilou Brill Endowment for Excellence, Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies, Franco Family Institute for Liberal Arts and the Public Good, East Asian Languages and Cultures, Navari Family Center for Digital Scholarship/Hesburgh Libraries.