To commemorate International Workers' Day on May 1st, the civil society and labor communities of Mapo have come together annually to organize the ‘Community Film Screening on Labor & Human Rights,’ now celebrating its fifth year. Since its inception in 2022, this year’s screening holds a deeper significance as it is co-hosted for the first time by the Korean Film Archive (KOFA) at Cinematheque KOFA.

This year’s featured work is <oh, valentine="">, a documentary by visual artist and director Hong Jin-hwon. The film gazes upon those who, following the death of a subcontracted worker twenty years ago, left the factories and cities to cultivate art and daily life on their own land. Moving beyond conventional accounts of labor struggle or self-reflection, the film captures the lives of those who carry forward the memory of a ‘failed revolution’ through poetry, song, and what the director calls ‘botanical resistance’ (vegetative struggle), all rendered through his uniquely delicate visual language.

Opening a new chapter at Cinematheque KOFA, we hope this screening serves as a meaningful time to contemplate the theme of labor through an artistic lens and to listen to one another’s voices. Following the screening, we invite you to join the 'Talk Session' to share a moment of reflection on the history of struggle and the records of our collective journey.</oh,>