The Thread

Myeong Seon is a veteran who has been earning a living doing sewing work at Changsin-dong sewing alley. Watching famous actors featuring in K-dramas wearing designer products that she custom-made is her greatest joy. However, work is decreasing and her close co-worker friend Hyun left Changsin-dong. Now Myeong Seon is concerned. It was in the late 1970s when sewing factories opened in Changsin-dong. After the Korean War, clothing markets selling vintage items opened which later became Pyeonghwa Market. With the success of Pyeonghwa Market, sewing factories established among the shack communities in Changsin-dong where refugees lived. Along with the Korean apparel industry, the sewing alleys have also grown. However, exploitation of labor at such sewing factories was beyond words. We remember the history of the suffering as the death of Martyr Jeon Tae Il, but beside him were female laborers who had to meet deadlines by taking medicine to stay awake. "The Thread" crosses the border of documentary and fiction while working with amateur actors who actually work in Changsin-dong. Through them, the film documents the history of female laborers not as ‘halt’ in the past but as ‘continuation’ with our present lives. An interesting work filled with humor.
(Source: JIFF)