Director Park Ki-young, who resigned as chairman of the Korean Film Council (KOFIC) last year and directed “Motel Cactus,” which won the New Currents Award at the 1998 Busan International Film Festival, has chosen “Ghost Island,” a supernatural thriller that depicts parallel Cold War era massacres in South Korea and Indonesia, as a JAFF Future Project.
The Korea-Malaysia-Indonesia co-production, directed and produced by Park along with Malaysian producer Ho Yuhan through his production company Paperheart Sdn Bhd, was selected as one of the 10 Asia-Pacific titles selected as a JAFF Future Project at this year’s JAFF Market in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
“Ghost Island” depicts Ayu, an Indonesian woman who arrives on snow-covered Jeju Island to search for her husband Herman, who disappeared during their honeymoon. She teams up with In-ho, a Korean ex-Marine turned investigator, to search motels, ferry terminals, labor agencies, and more. Herman is visible in the surveillance camera footage, but it remains blurry and indistinct, as if the camera itself is unable to capture him.
When Ino’s grandmother relives the Jeju April 3 massacre during a shamanic ceremony, Ayu sees a chilling connection between Herman’s disappearance and the island’s suppressed violence. Returning to Bali, she discovers that Herman left behind neither his school records nor his real family. The fortune teller confirms her deepest fears. Herman passed away many years ago.
A shocking truth is revealed. Ayu’s grandfather commanded the garrison during the 1965-1966 Bali genocide and betrayed the village of Harman. Herman is a seven-year-old victim whose spirit has remained for decades, searching for the perpetrator’s descendants who will eventually witness the truth. Guided by a shaman and fragmented memories, Ayu travels to a hidden cave where Harman’s village was massacred, and kneels before the dust-tangled bones and children’s bracelets.
“My interest in the Jeju April 3rd Incident began many years ago, when people were still hesitant to discuss it,” Park said. “Then I learned about the mass executions of civilians in Indonesia, particularly Bali, in 1965 and 1966. I was deeply moved by how these two islands, now known as idyllic paradises, share an almost identical history of violence, yet are perceived and interpreted so differently.”
What struck Park most was the contrast in how memories are honored. “The wounds of Jeju Island are finally beginning to be recognized, studied and commemorated. The wounds of Bali remain largely untold, hidden in fear, denial and inherited silence,” he says. “‘Ghost Island’ was born out of that silence. I wanted to listen to what history had tried to erase, and create a story where through love, memory, and the courage to witness what others felt forced to forget, the unseen and the unspoken finally come to the surface.”
“‘Ghost Island’ examines the persistence of memory and the invisible connections between two ghost islands with parallel histories: Jeju Island in 1948 and Bali in 1965,” Park added. “Both are idyllic landscapes scarred by state violence and silence. The film becomes a spiritual detective story in which history itself is a ghost.”
“This movie is not a traditional horror or historical drama,” he says. “This is a work of poetic realism, where the landscape evokes memories, technology reveals memories, and the dead seek recognition rather than revenge.”
Producers emphasized the global importance of this project. “This story delves into two of Asia’s most silenced historical traumas, the Jeju April 3rd Massacre and the 1965-1966 Bali Massacre, without sensationalizing it,” Park and Ho said. “Instead, it turns hidden history into a deep human mystery about love, memory, and responsibility.”
At JAFF Market, the team wants to establish an identity for the project and secure meaningful partnerships. “By debuting at JAFF, we emphasize that Ghost Island is rooted in Asian history, culture, and transnational storytelling,” say the filmmakers. “Our goal is to strengthen this project creatively, culturally and financially and connect with partners who share our vision of films that celebrate these histories while resonating with audiences around the world.”
Park served as the chairman of the Korean Film Council from January 2022 until he resigned last year. He previously directed “Motel Cactus,” which won the New Currents Award at the 1998 Busan International Film Festival, co-written with Bong Joon-ho, and “Camel,” which won the Regard d’Or at the 2002 Friborg International Film Festival.
The JAFF Future Project is designed to serve as a development platform and co-creation hub, advancing independent works towards completion and distribution. The initiative will run from November 29th to December. It was held at Yogya Expo Center in Yogyakarta as part of the broader 20th anniversary celebrations of the Yogya Netpac Asian Film Festival.
