>> Sreenivasan: IN THIS ERA OF
"ME TOO," SURVIVORS OF SEXUAL
ASSAULT HAVE BEEN COMING FORWARD
WITH THEIR PERSONAL STORIES,
SOMETIMES FROM DECADES AGO.
THIS WEEK, P.O.V. PREMIERES THE
DOCUMENTARY, "THE APOLOGY."
IT FOLLOWS THE JOURNEY OF THREE
FORMER "COMFORT WOMEN," WHO,
70 YEARS AGO, WERE FORCED INTO
SEXUAL SLAVERY, DURING WORLD
WAR II.
DECADES AFTER LIVING IN SILENCE,
THEY TOO CAME FORWARD YEARS AGO,
SPARKING A "ME TOO" MOVEMENT OF
THEIR GENERATION.
TIFFANY HSIUNG IS THE DIRECTOR
OF THE P.O.V. DOCUMENTARY,
"THE APOLOGY."
SHE JOINS US NOW.
THE IDEA OF COMFORT WOMEN--
I MEAN, THAT'S A EUPHEMISM.
THESE WERE SEX SLAVES.
LET'S JUST KIND OF BE UP FRONT
ABOUT THAT.
WHAT HAPPENED TO MOST OF THEM?
HOW MANY WERE THERE?
>> OVER 200,000 YOUNG WOMEN AND
GIRLS WERE KIDNAPPED AND COERCED
INTO THESE MILITARY SEXUAL
SLAVERY SYSTEM.
IT WAS AN INSTITUTIONALIZED
SYSTEM THAT WAS REALLY, AT THE
END OF THE DAY, PROTECTING THE
SOLDIERS FROM CONTRACTING
VENERIAL DISEASES.
SO, DOCTORS AND NURSES WERE
BROUGHT IN, NOT TO PROTECT THE
WOMEN, BUT TO ACTUALLY PROTECT
THE SOLDIERS, SO THEY CAN
ACTUALLY CONTINUE TO FIGHT.
>> Sreenivasan: YOU HAVE THE
ABILITY TO LOOK INTO THE LIVES
OF THREE VERY DIFFERENT WOMEN,
WHO TELL YOU VERY DIFFERENT
STORIES.
THE CHINESE CHARACTER IN YOUR
FILM, WHAT HAPPENED TO HER?
>> GRANDMA CHOW HAD SUCH A
HORRIFIC STORY.
NOT ONLY WAS SHE TAKEN FROM HER
VILLAGE, ONLY TWO MILES AWAY
FROM HER HOME, BUT SHE GOT
IMPREGNATED TWICE WHILE SHE WAS
TAKEN.
AND DURING THOSE PREGNANCIES,
SHE ACTUALLY ABORTED THE BABIES
HERSELF, BECAUSE SHE KNEW THAT
SHE COULDN'T BRING THE CHILDREN
THAT SHE WOULD GIVE BIRTH TO
BACK TO HER VILLAGE.
AND SO, THAT HAPPENED TO HER
TWICE WHILE SHE WAS AT THE
COMFORT STATION, AND BY THE TIME
SHE HAD RETURNED BACK HOME, SHE
WAS UNABLE TO CONCEIVE A CHILD
EVER AGAIN.
>> Sreenivasan: AND YOU ARE
ABLE TO DOCUMENT THE
CONVERSATIONS THAT WERE
HAPPENING WITH HER FAMILY.
>> WHILE WE WERE MAKING THE
FILM, IT WAS TO MY SURPRISE THAT
HER ADOPTED CHILDREN-- HER
DAUGHTER, THAT SHE LIVES VERY
CLOSE TO-- DIDN'T KNOW ANYTHING
ABOUT THIS.
AND SO, REALLY, THE POINT OF
MAKING "THE APOLOGY" WAS TO
UNDERSTAND THE COMPLEXITIES OF
EVEN TELLING THESE HORRIFIC
STORIES TO THE PEOPLE CLOSEST TO
YOU, TO THE PEOPLE THAT YOU
LOVE.
AND I THINK FOR TODAY, WE NEED
TO UNDERSTAND THOSE
COMPLEXITIES, TO UNDERSTAND WHY
IT TAKES SO LONG TO HAVE THAT
COURAGE, TO BE ABLE TO SHARE
STORIES PUBLICLY, EVEN.
>> Sreenivasan: AND THERE'S A
WOMAN FROM THE PHILIPPINES THAT
YOU PROFILE.
SHE'S CARRYING THE GUILT OF ALL
THIS FOR NOT REVEALING THIS TO
HER NOW-DEAD HUSBAND.
>> SHE WAITED TILL HER HUSBAND
PASSED AWAY, FOR ALL HER
CHILDREN TO LEAVE HER NEST, FOR
HER TO EVEN JOIN A GROUP OF
SURVIVORS.
YOU KNOW, SHE WAS ALWAYS SCARED
THAT THIS WOULD BREAK HER
FAMILY.
OUT OF ALL THE THREE
GRANDMOTHERS THAT WE FIMMED, SHE
WAS ONE THAT WAS ABLE TO GET
MARRIED, WAS ABLE TO BIRTH HER
OWN CHILDREN, TO HAVE THIS
FAMILY.
AND SO, IN MANY WAYS, YOU CAN
THINK THAT SHE HAD SO MUCH TO
LOSE IF SHE HAD COME OUT WHILE
HER HUSBAND WAS ALIVE, WHILE HER
CHILDREN WERE STILL LIVING WITH
HER.
>> WILL YOU EVER TELL YOUR
CHILDREN?
>> NEVER.
I AM NEVER TELLING ANYONE.
THEY WOULD BE ASHAMED OF ME.
THEY WOULD BE ASHAMED OF ME, I
KNOW.
THEY WILL, YES.
>> SO, THAT WEIGHT OF, YOU KNOW,
SHAME AND STIGMA ON HER SHOULDER
CARRIED OVER AND OVER AND OVER
ALL THESE YEARS, TILL SHE WAS
80 YEARS OLD.
AND WHEN SHE REVEALED TO ME THAT
SHE, YOU KNOW, SHE WANTED TO ONE
DAY-- HER WISH WAS TO ONE DAY
TELL HER CHILDREN.
>> Sreenivasan: WHERE DOES THE
FILM GO FROM HERE, NOW THAT IT'S
BEING SCREENED ON PBS?
IT HAS BEEN RUNNING FOR A COUPLE
OF YEARS, WITH SCREENINGS AROUND
THE COUNTRY.
WHAT DO YOU DO WITH IT?
WHAT DO YOU HOPE WITH IT?
>> I MEAN, I'M HOPING THAT WITH
THE RISE OF THE "ME TOO"
MOVEMENT AND TIME'S UP MOVEMENT,
THAT WE AS A COLLECTIVE
COMMUNITY AND GLOBAL COMMUNITY
CAN SEE THAT WE CAN'T IGNORE
PAST ISSUES AND PAST ATROCITIES,
THAT IF WE JUST LET THIS GO,
IF WE DON'T ADDRESS THIS, THAT,
YOU KNOW, IT JUST SHOWS, YOU
KNOW, HOW WOMEN ARE VIEWED IN
SOCIETY STILL TODAY.
AND THAT'S WHY, IF WE CAN'T
RECOGNIZE THIS, HISTORY WILL
REPEAT ITSELF.
AND THE GRANDMOTHERS FIGHT TODAY
NOT JUST FOR THE JUSTICE THEY
HAVE BEEN SEEKING FOR, BUT ALSO
FOR THE NEXT GENERATION.
SO REALLY, IT'S OUR COLLECTIVE
RESPONSIBILITY TO UNITE
TOGETHER, TO FIGHT WITH THEM.
>> Sreenivasan: I WANT TO ALSO
ASK, YOU'VE BECOME AN HONORARY
GRANDDAUGHTER TO MANY OF THESE
WOMEN, AND YOU ALSO HAVE KIND OF
A PERSONAL JOURNEY WHILE YOU'RE
MAKING THIS, OVER A SIX-YEAR
PERIOD.
YOU WERE A SURVIVOR OF SEXUAL
ASSAULT WHEN YOU WERE A CHILD?
WATCHING THESE WOMEN, AND WHAT
THEY'VE LIVED THROUGH, WHAT DID
IT TEACH YOU?
>> THESE GRANDMOTHERS TAUGHT ME
SO MUCH ABOUT WHAT RESILIENCE
LOOKS LIKE, WHAT COURAGE LOOKS
LIKE, PERSEVERANCE, SACRIFICE.
TO TRULY UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW,
THE WEIGHT OF WHAT SHAME LOOKS
LIKE ON AN 80-YEAR-OLD WOMAN,
AND TO SEE THEM OVERCOME THAT
HAS BROUGHT ME SO MUCH
INSPIRATION THAT I NEVER THOUGHT
WOULD HAPPEN WHILE MAKING THIS
FILM.
YOU KNOW, I ALWAYS THOUGHT THAT
IT WOULD JUST BE ME HELPING TO
SHARE THEIR STORIES, BUT REALLY,
THEY'VE HELPED ME.
THEY'VE HELPED ME COME TO TERMS
WITH A LOT OF THE THINGS THAT I
HAD GONE THROUGH, AND MY HOPE IS
THAT THIS FILM ALSO HELPS MANY
OTHER PEOPLE AS WELL, MANY OTHER
WOMEN AND PEOPLE THAT HAVE A
STORY THAT THEY WANT TO SHARE,
THAT THEY TOO ARE LOOKING FOR
THAT COURAGE AND INSPIRATION TO
ALSO SHARE THEIR STORIES.
SO, I HOPE THAT THAT ALSO
RESONATES WITH MANY PEOPLE
AROUND THE WORLD AS WELL.
>> Sreenivasan: THERE'S A PLACE
WHERE THEY HAVE WEEKLY
DEMONSTRATIONS OUTSIDE THE
JAPANESE EMBASSY ABOUT THIS.
THERE'S ACTUALLY A STATUE
COMMEMORATING THIS.
LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT A CLIP.
>> Sreenivasan: WHEN YOU LOOK
ACROSS THAT SEA OF PROTESTORS,
THAT'S NOT WHAT YOU EXPECT THE
YOUNG RABBLE ROUSERS TO BE.
THESE ARE ACTUAL GRANDMAS THAT
HAVE SURVIVED THIS, AND THEY'RE
COMING ON A WEEKLY BASIS TO KEEP
PRESSING THIS ISSUE.
>> EVERY WEDNESDAY, RAIN OR
SHINE, SINCE 1992, THEY HAVE
BEEN DEMONSTRATING OUTSIDE THE
JAPANESE EMBASSY IN SEOUL,
KOREA.
AND TO SEE THAT FOOTAGE AGAIN, I
MEAN, IT WAS SUCH A POWERFUL
DAY, BUT WHEN WE WERE TALKING TO
GRANDMA GILL PRIOR TO THE
DEMONSTRATION, I SAID-- I ASKED
HER HOW SHE FELT.
AND SHE SAID, SADNESS.
SADNESS THAT, BACK THEN WHEN WE
FILMED THAT, IT WAS A 1,000th.
LIKE, WHY HAS IT TAKEN 1,000th
DEMONSTRATION, AND WE'RE STILL
GOING ON.
AND IT'S STILL HAPPENING TODAY.
WE'RE STILL DEMONSTRATING.
>> Sreenivasan: WHAT IS THE SORT
OF CURRENT STATUS OF RELATIONS
BETWEEN JAPAN AND ALL THESE
DIFFERENT COUNTRIES?
IN 2015, THERE WAS KIND OF A
BILLION-YEN SETTLEMENT, THAT
THEY THOUGHT WOULD TRY TO MOVE
THINGS FORWARD, BUT JUST THIS,
YOU KNOW, VERY-- JUST A FEW
WEEKS AGO, YOU'VE GOT THE CITY
OF OSAKA CUTTING TIES WITH THE
CITY OF SAN FRANSISCO, THEIR
SISTER CITIES RELATIONSHIP,
BECAUSE OF ONE OF THESE STATUES
ON THE WEST COAST.
>> RIGHT NOW, YOU KNOW, AS MORE
PEOPLE ARE UNDERSTANDING THE
HISTORY AND THE ISSUES, WITH THE
GRANDMOTHERS STILL, STILL
FIGHTING FOR AN APOLOGY, EVEN
AFTER THE 2015 AGREEMENT BETWEEN
THE TWO GOVERNMENTS--
YOU KNOW, MORE COUNTRIES ARE
SUPPORTING WITH THE BRONZE
STATUE, ERECTING IT INTO THEIR
OWN CITIES EVERYWHERE.
HOWEVER, BECAUSE THEY'RE DOING
THAT, THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT
STILL DOESN'T WANT TO
ACKNOWLEDGE, IN FACT, WANTS TO
REMOVE THESE STATUES, AND NOT
TAKE THE OWNERSHIP AND
RESPONSIBILITY OF HOW THEY
ACTUALLY, YOU KNOW, DROVE THE
HELM BEHIND THIS
INSTITUTIONALIZED SEXUAL SLAVERY
SYSTEM.
AND SO, THAT STILL GOES ON
TODAY, THAT'S STILL HAPPENING
TODAY, UNFORTUNATELY, BUT, YOU
KNOW, WITH MOVEMENTS LIKE THE
METOO CAMPAIGN AND, LIKE,
EVERYTHING THAT'S HAPPENING
GLOBALLY, I THINK THAT MORE AND
MORE PEOPLE ARE STANDING BEHIND
THIS MOVEMENT, AND STANDING
BEHIND THESE STATUES AND MAKING
SURE THAT THEY AREN'T REMOVED,
BECAUSE IT REALLY IS
SYMBOLIZING, YOU KNOW, HOW WOMEN
ARE VIEWED IN SOCIETY TODAY.
YOU KNOW, IT'S VERY MUCH A
GLOBAL ISSUE.
>> Sreenivasan: HOW MUCH OF A
DIFFERENCE WAS THE COMPOSITION
OF THE STAFF-- AT LEAST THE
GENDER OF THE STAFF, IN MAKING
THIS FILM, AND THE FINAL PRODUCT
THAT WE HAVE?
>> IT'S HUGE.
"THE APOLOGY" WAS MADE WITH THE
NATIONAL FILM BOARD OF CANADA,
WITH INCREDIBLE PRODUCTION TEAM,
OUR PRODUCER, ANITA LEE, OUR
EDITOR, MARY STEPHEN, COMPOSER
LESLEY BARBER.
A MAJORITY OF THE STAFF ARE
INCREDIBLE, PIONEERING, FEMALE
FILMMAKERS THEMSELVES.
AND TO HAVE THAT FEMALE LENS, TO
BE ABLE TO CAPTURE THE NUANCES
AND THE AFTERMATH OF WHAT THESE
WOMEN HAD GONE THROUGH AND WHAT
THEIR DYNAMICS ARE WITH THE
FAMILY, IS SO IMPORTANT FOR
PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND, TO CONNECT
WITH THE GRANDMOTHER'S STORIES,
TO CONNECT WITH THESE ISSUES.
AND, AND TO NOT ISOLATE THIS
ISSUE AS AN "ASIAN ISSUE," AS A
HISTORICAL ISSUE, TO TRULY
CONNECT WITH THEM AS PEOPLE
FIRST.
>> Sreenivasan: THE DOCUMENTARY
IS CALLED "THE APOLOGY."
TIFFANY HSIUNG, THANKS SO MUCH
FOR JOINING US.
>> THANK YOU.
