- This is POV .
I'm Pete Schwaba, host of Wisconsin Public Television's
Director's Cut .
Tonight on POV we bring you Tiffany Hsiung's The Apology .
To soldiers, they were known as comfort women.
But to those who loved them, they were sisters and daughters;
young women, totaling over 200,000,
who were kidnapped from their homes
and forced into military sexual slavery
during World War II by the Japanese Imperial Army.
Hsiung's documentary tells the story
through the eyes of three of these former comfort women,
now in their twilight years,
who were forced to live in these so-called comfort stations.
One of Hsiung's leading ladies, known as Grandma Gil,
was just thirteen when she was ripped away from her family.
Hsiung describes her filmmaking
as grounded in cross-cultural
and intergenerational themes
to inspire younger generations
and teach social responsibility.
She says that her approach to storytelling
is driven by the relationships she forms with people.
This is very much on display in The Apology .
Hsiung, herself a victim of sexual assault,
does a remarkable job getting these women to tell their story.
The relationship between director and actor
is important in any genre
but when a documentarian is able to create a trust
with their cast that allows them
to forget there is a camera rolling
and really talk from the soul,
we as viewers witness pure truth that is not acting.
It's genuine and lets us connect on a deeper level
with other human beings.
Hsiung does this masterfully.
The Apology starts now on Wisconsin Public Television,
your home for independent film.