Young-Joo Byun (b. 1966) first graduated in law from Ewha Women’s University and then in film from Chung-Ang University. Even her earliest films take up women’s issues. The Murmuring (Nazen moksori, 1995), on Korean women who were forced into sexual slavery during the Second World War for the needs of Japanese soldiers, was the first documentary to see a South Korean theater release. She followed up this success with two quasi-sequels, Habitual Sadness (Nazen moksori 2, 1997) and My Own Breathing (Sumgyul, 1999). Her first feature Ardor was presented at the Berlinale in 2003.
47. MFF Karlovy Vary
