Bikini Words at the London Lift-Off Film Festival

Bikini Words will screen at the London Lift-Off Film Festival following its earlier run on the Lift-Off circuit. After receiving Best Short Documentary at the Liverpool Lift-Off Film Festival in 2016, the film continued to travel to festivals in Tokyo, Las Vegas, Vancouver, Los Angeles, Amsterdam, Singapore, and Sydney. London marks another important stop in that journey.

Tracing Language During Korea’s Industrial Years

I made BIKINI WORDS to look at how language changed during South Korea’s rapid industrialisation in the 1970s and 1980s. Factory workers in G-Valley developed their own vocabulary to describe new realities shaped by labour, migration, and urban life. Those words became a way to understand how people adapted to dramatic change.

From Exhibition Concept to Film

The project began as part of a long-term exhibition for Geumcheon District Office. I was invited by Hongsung Kim from Design Studio Kerb and Jinbok Wee from Urban Intensity Architects to respond to the area’s industrial history. An index of 99 words, compiled by researcher Haeyeon Yoo, became the starting point. Together with producer Kuiock Park, I selected eight words that could carry the film for an international audience.

Space, Architecture, and Story

Bikini Words moves between real locations in Geumcheon and a reconstructed exhibition space. This contrast helped reflect what has disappeared and what remains. Architecture, language, and memory overlap throughout the film, shaping a narrative that stays close to lived experience rather than nostalgia.

Working With the People Behind the Words

Finding former factory workers was not easy. Many were cautious, and familiar media clichés did not help. Trust grew slowly, often through personal connections. One former activist, known as the “puppet boss,” played a key role in introducing us to others. Their voices brought humour, honesty, and weight to the film.

Story First, Technique Second

Although I come from a cinematography background, this film reinforced something I value deeply: technique only works when it serves the story. Camera movement, framing, and atmosphere matter, but they should never overpower what people are saying or what a place holds.

London Screening Details

Bikini Words screens on Monday, 28 November 2016, as part of Short Programme 1 at 19:45

Venue: Arthouse Cinema, Crouch End
Address: 159A Tottenham Lane, London N8 9BT, UK

Closing Thoughts

Seeing Bikini Words continue to travel has been grounding. Each screening reminds me that language, work, and memory are shared concerns, even when rooted in a very specific place. I’m grateful to everyone who helped make the film possible and to the audiences who continue to engage with it.