Since the end of the Korean War, 10,000 Korean women sold themselves marrying American G.I.s, to escape the crushing poverty of post-war Korea, or to enter a life of prosperity in the U.S. The And Thereafter Trilogy Project arises with the question of what life was like after the marriage ceremony – of what the “thereafter” is. The relationship between the American soldier and the Korean wife is a microcosm of the unequal relations between the U.S. and Korea. In turn, this is representative of the larger issue of how international events and policies define individual lives. Spread out all over the United States, these women married to G.I.s keep their past identities hidden and are reluctant to talk about their past as a G.I. prostitutes. What they share is isolation. As G.I. wives, they are ostracized by Korean society and marginalized in America. Ajuma, the subject of And Thereafter II, is one of

Sceneggiatura / Screenplay Hosup Lee
Fotografia (colore) / Photography (colour) Hosup Lee
Montaggio / Editing Hosup Lee
Suono / Sound Hosup Lee
Produzione / Production Hosup Lee, Hyun-Ock Im
Anno di produzione / Year of production 2006
Durata / Running time 56’
Formato / Format DV CAM

Hosup Lee

Born in Korea, he graduated from Seoul National University and completed graduate studies at the New York University. He then worked as a documentary producer/director with KBS Media Enterprises in Korea for several years. In 1999, he returned to New York where he has since worked on And Thereafter Trilogy Project. And Thereafter I has garnered numerous awards, including Best Documentary Award at the International Independent Film Festival of Mar del Plata, Special Jury Award at the Hawaii International Film Festival, Special Jury Award at the San Francisco Int’l Asian American FF, International Leipzig Festival’s Silver Dove Award, and Best Korean Documentary Award at the Pusan IFF. And Thereafter II was awarded with the SCAM Prize at the Cinéma du Réel.