Film archive, 2025

Have You Seen the Land of the Red?

빨간 나라를 보았니?

Director HONG Youngah

1Festival entries

★Avg. rating

Nicknamed the ‘heart of conservatives,’ Gyeongsangbuk-do (North Gyeongsang Province) is the conservative stronghold of Korean politics, having not elected a single liberal Democratic Party member to the National Assembly in the past 30 years. From the 2022 local elections to the 2024 general election, TV-writer-turned-filmmaker Hong Youngah documents the uphill battle of Democratic Party candidates, clad in signature blue jackets, in this ‘land of the red.’ Despite facing certain defeat, gubernatorial candidate Lim Mi-ae, her husband and fellow candidate Kim Hyun-kwon, as well as other candidates and campaigners, steadfastly maintain upbeat spirits against overwhelming odds as they hand out business cards to disgruntled passersby, shake lots of hands, and dance during street campaigns. Through their hopeless fight, a political David versus Goliath, this film questions the undertaking of a challenge that is destined to fail, while laying bare the harsh realities of local elections and Korean politics where hope and despair are intertwined.