Summary:

TEARLESS is a 360 3D immersive VR project on “US military comfort women,” forced by the South Korean government to serve US soldiers in camp towns outside the US military bases. Using immersive media technology, this project focuses on these women’s memories within a detainment center called “Monkey House” — a medical prison established by the South Korean government and staffed by the US military in the 1970s to isolate and treat US military comfort women with STDs.

Director Bio:

Gina Kim is a writer and director whose five feature films and works of video art have screened at over 150 prestigious international film festivals and venues such as Cannes, Venice, Berlin, and Sundance, as well as the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Centre George Pompidou, the Smithsonian, and the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Korea. Praised by Le Figaro as a “fearless feminist who conceals an extreme sensitivity,” Kim’s “Invisible Light” (2003) was selected as one of the 10 best films of 2003 by Film Comment.

“Never Forever” (2007), starring Jung-woo Ha and Vera Farmiga, was the first co-production between the United States and South Korea. Kim’s virtual reality work “Bloodless” (2017) and “Tearless” (2021) won the Best VR Award at the Venice and Geneva International Film Festivals, respectively, followed by other international awards, nominations, and extensive media coverage. In 2018, The Hollywood Reporter selected Kim as one of “5 South Korean Talents to Watch.” Kim’s films have been theatrically released to critical acclaim in Europe, Asia, and the US.

Tearless Trailer from Gina Kim Films on Vimeo.