View source for In the Absence

{{short description|South Korean short documentary film}}
{{Infobox film
| name           =  In the Absence
|image=File:Intheabsence2018.jpeg
| director       = Seung-jun Yi
| studio         = 416 Documenting Group<br>Field of Vision (II)<br>First Look Media <br>Korea Communications Agency
| distributor    = Field of Vision (II) 
| based_on       = [[Sinking of MV Sewol|Sinking of MV ''Sewol'']]
| released       = <!-- {{Film date|df=yes/no|2018|11|9|United States|ref1=}} -->
| runtime        = 28 Minutes
| country        = South Korea
| language       = Korean
}}

'''''In the Absence ({{korean|부재의기억}})''''' is a 2018 South Korean–American<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.idfa.nl/en/film/5970096c-220b-4765-93f1-134bee14f4d4/in-the-absence |publisher=IDFA |title=In the Absence [programme note] |year=2018 |accessdate=2020-02-09  }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/lost-meet-press-film-festival-afi-n1046921  |title=The Lost: Meet the Press Film Festival with AFI |website=NBC News |accessdate=2020-02-09 |date=2019-09-06  }}</ref> short documentary film that depicts the [[Sinking of MV Sewol|sinking of the MV ''Sewol'']] in 2014, in which three hundred people {{ndash}} mostly school children from [[Danwon High School]] {{ndash}} lost their lives.<ref>[https://filmpittsburgh.org/films/in-the-absence Film Pittsburgh]</ref>

==Production==
The film was requested by the film distributor Field of vision, who was looking for a short documentary regarding the background of the 2016 [[2016–2017 South Korean protests|Candelight Vigil]] for the impeachment of then South Korean president Park Geun-hye. With guilt that he had not participated in documenting the moments of the ''Sewol'' incident as it happened, the film focused on tracing the origins of the sufferings caused by the incident. In the original version, there was a scene involving the mothers of the drowned students crying as the salvaged vessel approached the dock, but it was cut from the final version, for fear that such overwhelming reactions would prevent the audience from empathizing with the mothers.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9464764/|title=<부재의 기억>을 기억해보다|website=docking|date=2020-06-22}}</ref> The film was produced by Gary Byung-Seok Kam and directed by Yi Seung-Jun, with Seung-Jun beginning the process of interviewing the victims families on camera in 2017.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2020/01/in-the-absence-yi-seung-jun-gary-byung-seok-kam-oscars-documentary-short-interview-1202847908/|title=Oscar-Nominated 'In The Absence' Takes Haunting Look At Sewol Ferry Disaster|last=Carey|first=Matthew|date=2020-01-31|website=Deadline|language=en|access-date=2020-02-17}}</ref> The documentary is seen as distinct from other documentaries about the disaster, due to the fact that it highlights the disaster and not just the events leading up to the event and/or those responsible for the tragedy.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20200210000739|title='In the Absence' raises international awareness of Sewol ferry disaster|last=Jang-wong|first=Lim|date=February 10, 2020|website=[[The Korea Herald]]|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=February 17, 2020}}</ref>

== Format ==
The documentary utilizes audio from first responders and government officials, aerial video from helicopters, and cell phone video and multi-media messages from the victims of the ferry sinking to showcase the disaster in real time.<ref name=":0" /> The entire documentary is roughly 29 minutes long, and highlights how the disaster could have been avoided and the aftermath of the disaster such as the Candlelight Protests and the [[Impeachment of Park Geun-hye]].<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2020/02/in-the-absence-documentary-short-oscars|title=It's Not Just Parasite: Watch the Other South Korean Film Poised to Make Oscar History|last=Rich|first=Katey|magazine=Vanity Fair|language=en|access-date=2020-02-17}}</ref>

== Awards ==

The documentary was awarded the 2018 grand jury prize for short competition in [[Doc NYC|DOC NYC]], a documentary film festival in the United States.<ref name=":0" />

''In the Absence'' was nominated for an [[Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject)]]<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DgpdktXc5Y "Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You're a Girl)" wins Best Documentary Short Subject-Oscars on YouTube]</ref><ref>[https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2020 2020|Oscars.org]</ref> at the [[92nd Academy Awards]].<ref>[https://www.shortoftheweek.com/2020/01/21/in-the-absence/ Short of the Week]</ref><ref>[https://www.soompi.com/article/1376699wpp/sewol-ferry-tragedy-documentary-in-the-absence-receives-oscar-nomination Sewol Ferry Tragedy Documentary "In the Absence" Receives Oscar Nomination|Soompi]</ref><ref>[http://world.kbs.co.kr/service/news_view.htm?Seq_Code=150635 S. Korean Documentary 'In the Absence' on Sewol Sinking Nominated for Oscar|KBS World Radio]</ref><ref>[https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/oscar-nominated-short-films-showing-in-connecticut-theaters/ar-BBZnzTu Oscar-nominated short films showing in Connecticut theaters - Hartford Courant]</ref> Before this nomination (and ''[[Parasite (2019 film)|Parasite]]''’s nominations), no South Korean film had ever been nominated for an Oscar.<ref>{{cite web |work=Slate |url=https://slate.com/culture/2020/02/in-the-absence-documentary-korean-oscar-nominee-interview-sewol.html |title=The Filmmakers Behind ''In the Absence'' on What It Can Teach Americans |author=Violet Kim |date=2020-02-04 |accessdate=2020-02-09   }}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Sinking of MV Sewol|Sinking of MV ''Sewol'']]
* [[2019 in film]]

== References ==

{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* [https://www.fieldofvision.org/in-the-absence ''In the Absence''] at [[Field of Vision]]
* {{vimeo|329617474|''In the Absence''}}, posted by [[Field of Vision]]
* {{IMDb title|tt9464764}}
{{italic title}}

[[Category:2018 films]]
[[Category:American short documentary films]]
[[Category:South Korean short documentary films]]
[[Category:Documentary films about MV Sewol]]
[[Category:Documentary films about maritime disasters]]
[[Category:Documentary films about South Korea]]
[[Category:Films about castaways]]
[[Category:2018 short documentary films]]
[[Category:2010s American films]]
[[Category:2010s South Korean films]]