Seoul Visual Collective

Two identical suns
Last summer of July `99, scene of Myongdong Cathedral. One of the people engaged in cinema, Myong Gye Nam, is on a hunger strike. On the seventh day of resisting only with water, he is utterly worn out. The story go back to the summer of a year before. By the news that Han Duk Su, director of Diplomatic Trade suggested retrenching Screen Quota, people engaged in cinema got furious. Recognizing the need for rally, they organize the emergency measure committee, and 1200 people engaged in cinema to gather in Kwang Wha Moon on the December 1 `98. On that day, actors and actresses had to carry the portraits of their own,

Solidarity & Victory
The National Assembly declares of keeping the existing law of Screen Quota. People engaged in cinema finish their demonstration taken place through 64 days. The pattern of the myth "Shooting Sun" is a common theme in Asian myth. But in Korean myth, sun is fell down by not a bow but a song. Therefore, the protagonist in our myth is called as "cultural hero".

Flying State Deartment, or Noe-liberalism
March '99, the U.S. Secretary of Commerce and Jack Valenti visit Korea. It is revealed ,shortly after, that Kim's government was discussing on reducing the Screen Quota with the America's side.

The Tears of Korean Cinema
Betrayed people decide to go on a strike again. In succession with the first hair-cutting, the 113 people express the anger by carrying away their second collective hair-cut. And in the third time, the symbol of Korean cinema, director Im Kwon-Taek get his hair cut. The government promises of maintaining the current Screen Quota law and people won over. But the strike against Screen Quota protection is not, by no means, a fight that can be easily completed. The remains are endless efforts.

Shoot the Sun by Lyric
If there is another real protagonists in this struggle? The elderly people engaged in Korean cinema, extras, staffs and the students anticipated in the demonstration....... Aren't all of them the heroes of our culture, who let the fake sun down with song ?

In , an ancient history of Korea, there is a following myth. As a consequence of the emergence of two suns in the sky, people had to go through agony. Then, as soon as a monk, Wolmyong began to sing, one of the suns disappeared, by which peace came back to the region.

The myth of "shooting sun" is a commonly appeared theme of the North-East Asia. The only difference lies that the heroes of other regions shoot at sun with bows, while our hero did with song. For this reason, one scholar of Korean literature called him as "hero of culture". The 113 members engaged in Korean Film, who had their hair cut to express deep anger, have continued desperate protest against the Screen Quota for more than a year from the July 98 up to now. The fight is not merely a narrow sense of strike for maintaining Screen Quota, but for Korean cultural identity against America's cultural imperialism, symbolized by Hollywood.

This documentary is a record of the people involved in Korean Film striking throughout a year. Through their features, we can find out not only the memory of ancient myth, but also the cultural heroes, striving to keep our culture and let the sun down by song.

1. The Struggle
People engaged in Korean Film, for keeping Screen-Quota, went on a hunger strike last July. Ending 7 days of strike in Myungdong Cathedral, in which even fatigue was unfelt by their determined wills, they wrote: "Days and nights have passed filled with the soaring spirits. We gathered together with enthusiasm in every acute moments, being willing to take responsibility for the future of Korean Film with inspired outlook. Wearing stripes on shoulder with clenched fist, we exclaimed the catch-phrase for the future of Korean Film. Each time our strikes were new and we gradually won over." The strike to have taken place for one year. They achieved. But it was a handful of victory as well as uneasy. It is easy to imagine that America ,in pursuing of dominating film industries throughout the world, is going to give more harsh and persistent pressure against Korean film market, and Korean government will probably show indecisive reaction for that. People must start on the struggle towards the victory on their own. For this, they are going to announce their firm wills and justice hand-in-hand with our citizens. Moreover, with the people engaged in film in all over the world who is resisting against America's hegemony.

2. The Record
The documentary is to record the struggle of the 20 century's cultural heroes. And in the long and winding road of the struggle, we are going to lead our citizen's participations and be a footstone of international solidarity. The Screen-Quota strike, being paid attention by the world, and the close-up filming throughout a year, from the beginning through the end. Totally over the 120 hour's footage will show the vivid voices and condensed features occurred in the strike. Especially opening theatre through 35mm film Kineco will expand contact with mass audiences and at the same time will be a chapter assuring the another possibility of documentary.