The new film Hallan revisits the long-suppressed history of the Jeju 4.3 Incident, a tragic period from 1947 to 1954 when more than 30,000 residents of Jeju Island were killed during government crackdowns. Director Ha Myung-mi, who lived on the island for over a decade, crafted the film as a personal exploration of the people who endured the violence.
Starring Kim Hyang-gi as a young mother struggling to survive, Hallan follows her desperate escape with her daughter as government troops sweep through their village. Rather than retelling the broader political conflict, the film centers on an intimate story of survival, portraying the fear and resilience of civilians caught between state forces and guerrilla fighters.
Shot largely in Jeju’s wilderness, the film highlights the island’s dramatic landscapes while grounding the narrative in the harsh realities of displacement and fear. Ha emphasized authenticity by having the cast speak almost entirely in the Jeju dialect, supported by multiple dialect coaches.
Kim Hyang-gi prepared extensively for the role, learning the dialect and exploring historical sites tied to the massacre. The film has already screened domestically and internationally, where audiences connected its themes of trauma and resilience to histories in their own countries.
Hallan aims to widen awareness of a chapter of Korean history once silenced, offering viewers an emotional path into understanding the Jeju 4.3 tragedy.
