"My Sisters In The Stars: The Story of Lee Yong-soo" – An Animated Student Documentary on WWII-Era Comfort Women System of Sexual Slavery in the Pacific
Ian Kim
Filmmaker, Photographer
based in Los Angeles, California
My Sisters In The Stars: The Story of Lee Yong-soo is a short, animated student documentary about the life of Lee Yong-soo, known in Korea as Grandma Lee, an activist and survivor of the Japanese World War II-era “Comfort Women” system of human trafficking and sexual slavery. My film intends to educate students and young people around the world on the “Comfort Women” issue, the effects of war and colonialism on women and minority communities, and the dangers of rewriting history.
Written and Directed by Ian Kim
Original Score by Abe Effress
Animated and Edited by Ian Kim
In Association with Comfort Women Action for Redress and Education (CARE) and the Daegu Citizen's Forum for Halmuni
My Sisters In The Stars: The Story of Lee Yong-soo is a ten-minute-long stop-motion-animated documentary based on the life of Grandma Lee, one of the last remaining survivors of the Japanese World War II-era Comfort Women system of sexual slavery.
The narrative is based on two online interviews that I conducted in summer 2021 and spring 2022 with the assistance of Comfort Women Action for Redress and Education (CARE), an advocacy organization in Glendale, CA, and the Daegu Citizen's Forum for Halmuni.
The film is hand-animated using Dragonframe and an at-home stop-motion setup, and edited using Adobe Premiere Pro.
The film is currently touring film festivals worldwide, with an online release planned for early 2023.
The narrative is based on two online interviews that I conducted in summer 2021 and spring 2022 with the assistance of Comfort Women Action for Redress and Education (CARE), an advocacy organization in Glendale, CA, and the Daegu Citizen's Forum for Halmuni.
The film is hand-animated using Dragonframe and an at-home stop-motion setup, and edited using Adobe Premiere Pro.
The film is currently touring film festivals worldwide, with an online release planned for early 2023.
Historical Background
During World War II, the Imperial Japanese Army created a system of sexual slavery in which women and girls from conquered territories were forced into sexual slavery. These women became known as the "Comfort Women."
In 1942, Lee Yong-soo, the daughter of two farmers, was taken from her home in occupied Korea to a Japanese air base in the Pacific, where she was held as a sexual slave until the end of the war.
In 1992, she became one of the first Comfort Women survivors to publicly speak out about their experiences during the war.
She is now one of only 12 known "Comfort Women" survivors living in Korea out of a system that claimed more than 200,000 women and girls from Japanese-occupied territories throughout Asia from 1932 to 1945.
Lee Yong-soo continues to fight for justice for a crime the Japanese government continues to deny and suppress.
During World War II, the Imperial Japanese Army created a system of sexual slavery in which women and girls from conquered territories were forced into sexual slavery. These women became known as the "Comfort Women."
In 1942, Lee Yong-soo, the daughter of two farmers, was taken from her home in occupied Korea to a Japanese air base in the Pacific, where she was held as a sexual slave until the end of the war.
In 1992, she became one of the first Comfort Women survivors to publicly speak out about their experiences during the war.
She is now one of only 12 known "Comfort Women" survivors living in Korea out of a system that claimed more than 200,000 women and girls from Japanese-occupied territories throughout Asia from 1932 to 1945.
Lee Yong-soo continues to fight for justice for a crime the Japanese government continues to deny and suppress.
Vision and Action
My film tells Grandma Lee's story through stop-motion animation, using media such as charcoal, sand, paint-on-glass, and clay to imagine the scenes and emotions of her life. I chose the medium of animation in order to capture the facets of her story in a vibrant, powerful, and authentic way, while also remaining accessible to all audiences. Animation also creates a way for me to actively interpret and engage with her story artistically and creatively, while also staying grounded in her direct recorded testimony.
My film's purpose is to educate students and young people around the world on the “Comfort Women” issue, the effects of war and colonialism on women and minority communities, and the dangers of rewriting history. More broadly, it also seeks to introduce topics in Asian history to a Western audience and present the tragedy of this issue with a power and urgency that leads to engagement and action.
My film tells Grandma Lee's story through stop-motion animation, using media such as charcoal, sand, paint-on-glass, and clay to imagine the scenes and emotions of her life. I chose the medium of animation in order to capture the facets of her story in a vibrant, powerful, and authentic way, while also remaining accessible to all audiences. Animation also creates a way for me to actively interpret and engage with her story artistically and creatively, while also staying grounded in her direct recorded testimony.
My film's purpose is to educate students and young people around the world on the “Comfort Women” issue, the effects of war and colonialism on women and minority communities, and the dangers of rewriting history. More broadly, it also seeks to introduce topics in Asian history to a Western audience and present the tragedy of this issue with a power and urgency that leads to engagement and action.
Public Story
"My Sisters In The Stars: The Story of Lee Yong-soo" – An Animated Student Documentary on WWII-Era Comfort Women System of Sexual Slavery in the Pacific
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