The Memoir of the Fourth Finger (63 min): 1 min teaser

submitted to major film festivals (under the jury process)

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Trans-disciplinary artist Jihyun(Jessie) Lee turns her camera on herself in this contemplative documentary, revisiting her memories of rescuing her younger sister at age 10 and being left in her burning home. 

Investigative and Speculative, The Memoir of the Fourth Finger ponders how trauma passes down and can be healed as Lee reflects on her identity and collective Korean identity in different places and times, through Toronto, Canada, Hwanghaedo, North Korea, Harbin, China, Manchuria, China and South Korea, her place of birth, from 1910 to 2026.

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A key figure in this search is Lee’s now-90-year-old maternal grandmother, Ahn Yeonsaeng, who holds the rare familial living memory of Korean national hero and peace activist Ahn Joongeun, who fought against Japanese colonial rule and is celebrated by both North and South Korea, as told through women’s voices.

Through the collaging of real and reimagined histories, Lee uncovers that although history has silenced the small voices within her family, healing begins with people who dare to speak, by reclaiming her ‘soul sovereignty’.

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Press:

https://www.cktimes.net/opinion/9426/ 

https://www.cktimes.net/opinion/9445/ 

https://www.cktimes.net/opinion/9458/ 

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