Grounding - IFFDAY

Official selection

True StoryWomen

Sexual violence victims, survivors, and allies in the art world unite to form Sangyeoja’s Grounding Tactics, a collective that supports sexual assault survivors’ recovery through art. Their activities are a way of reclaiming their bodies and senses and also a form of political action. Ma Minji, who recorded the hidden side of the myth of real estate successes in her debut feature Family in the Bubble (2017), documents the formation of this collective, capturing moments of solidarity, debate, healing, and failure. As a survivor herself, Ma not only films but also participates in the collective’s planning and operations, adopting a ‘performative documentary’ approach that merges documentation and participation. The film interlaces the activities and inner lives of the collective’s members, capturing their fight to reclaim the possibilities of life. Through this journey, it reminds us that the goal after trauma is not merely survival but the recovery of lost possibilities, and invites the audience to listen to the stories that continue beyond pain.

Programme note by JO Ji-hoon