I was working at the Korean Cultural Center New York (KCCNY) when we hosted a screening for Goddess Era (여신시대) on March 19, 2026. While checking in guests, I explained to the audience that this documentary was about Jeju Island’s Haenyeo (women divers) and the spiritual aspect of their labor. When I entered the theater, however, I was confused: the film was nothing like what I had described. My initial thought was that I had misread the description—but I had not. The brochure clearly stated the film was about Haenyeo.

One of Ozu Yasujiro’s most acclaimed postwar masterpieces, Late Spring, seems to be all about marriage. The film opens with the sights of Kitakamakura Station, a suburban area of Tokyo where Professor Somiya and his daughter, Noriko, reside. Noriko, who views living with her father out of filial duty, finds herself under pressure from both her father and aunt to marry. Initially, Noriko’s father encourages her to consider his assistant Hattori, who unfortunately already has a fiancée. The focus then moves to the next prospect, a young man from Tokyo University named Satake. What is the meaning of marriage in this film, and how should we see it?

The documentary film Dear Pyongyang illuminates the lives of Zainichi Koreans who have resided in Japan since Korean independence, capturing the complex layers of modern Korean history. Director Yang Yonghi focuses on her father, who dedicated his life to North Korean ideology, ultimately relocating his three sons permanently to North Korea. Centering on her father’s 70th birthday celebration in Pyongyang and journey from Japan to North Korea, the director attempts to unravel the inner sentiments her father experienced throughout his almost 55-year struggle in Japan. The film captures him reflecting on his life while grappling with the reality of his only daughter in Japan and the precarious nature of her national identity as a North Korean, which she holds with respect for her father’s convictions.

This essay was originally published in Korean in Sassanggye, Vol. 210 (Relaunch No.5), 2026 New Year Special Issue

Brooklyn-based artists Xinran Guan and Sophy Chang stage Gallery 456 as a site of encounter and reflection. In Between Worlds: The Intangible Thread, the two-person show features oil paintings with dynamic brushstrokes and vibrant sculptural figures made from various materials. The artworks by the two artists seem to possess different visual logics and narratives, but these differences provide a clue as to how to embrace them within a visual dialogue, blurring the boundaries of individuals, worlds, and art itself.