Until the Day We No Longer Need Bechdel Day! Meeting with Bechdelian Creators of 'Jeongnyeoni', 'Victory', 'High Five', and the Bechdel Day 2025 Event

There is a festival born with the goal of extinction. Bechdel Day is an event that ironically started with the aim of 'disappearing'. Until the day when works that realize the value of gender equality become commonplace, 'Bechdel Day' was established to reflect on the representation of gender equality in Korean film and media. Hosted and organized by the Directors Guild of Korea (DGK), Bechdel Day began in 2020 and is now in its 6th year, held at KU Cinema Tech from September 6 to 7.

This year, Bechdel Day 2025 featured various programs including special talks and screenings. On the 6th at 1 PM, the first segment opening Bechdel Day 2025, 'Meeting with Bechdelian', was held at KU Cinema Tech. Unfortunately, actress Park Bo-young from 〈Miji's Seoul〉 could not attend in person but shared her thoughts via video, saying, "The character is one who grows through her own choices in the future and the unknown, which drew me in a lot. Thanks to all the love, I was able to receive an award." Writer Park Ji-sook from 〈Mrs. Ok's Story〉 expressed her gratitude in writing, stating, "I wanted to be a small comfort and give courage to someone, and I feel that this selection as a Bechdelian has somewhat acknowledged that desire."

This year's 'Meeting with Bechdelian' focused on the theme of 'female characters who have secured their share in genre narratives', featuring Bechdelian directors selected in the film category: Director Lee Mi-rang of 〈About My Daughter〉, producer Lee Anna of 〈Victory〉 and 〈High Five〉, and writer Kim Soo-yeon of 〈Minimal Goodness〉, along with director Jeong Ji-in of 〈Jeongnyeoni〉 and producer Shin Hye-mi of 〈Quiet Sales〉 selected in the series category. Lee Hwa-jeong, the Bechdel Day programmer, served as the moderator. The event shared stories from this year's Bechdelian with the audience.

"Stereotypes disappear when you look into a person's inner self; that work is the creator's responsibility"

Film category Bechdelian Director Award 〈About My Daughter〉 Director Lee Mi-rang

Director Lee Mi-rang, who directed 〈About My Daughter〉, has won numerous awards including the Actor of the Year Award (Oh Min-ae) at the 28th Busan International Film Festival, the CGV Award, the CGK Cinematography Award at the 49th Seoul Independent Film Festival, and the Audience Award for feature films. She shared her thoughts on being selected as a Bechdelian, saying, "Being selected as a Bechdelian comes with a slightly different meaning. When I was making 〈About My Daughter〉, I checked the Bechdel test myself. So, if I was waiting for this award, I was indeed waiting for it."

〈About My Daughter〉 is a unique film that looks at a world full of discrimination from the perspective of a 'mother'. "I thought of 〈About My Daughter〉 as a film that should be titled 'About Us'. There is not a single character or narrative in the film that is not our story," she explained, sharing the background of how the protagonists of 〈About My Daughter〉 are not confined to the identity of 'minority'. Director Lee Mi-rang added, "Stereotypes actually disappear when you start looking into a person's inner self. At first glance, we all may seem similar, but when you open the lid, there is very different content inside. If you look closely, everyone has different individuality and specificity. The same goes for characters. When we say 'mother', there is an impression we think of, but if we look closely at that person's history, it changes significantly."

Nevertheless, Director Lee Mi-rang emphasized, "The creator must do the work of looking deeply into that inner self," mentioning the obligation of creators to think about characters and narratives that break away from stereotypes. She also reflected, "While I said the power of the story is important, when imagining a character, I think it is necessary to question, 'Does it have to be this gender?' This is my story, but did 'Manager Kwon' in 〈About My Daughter〉 have to be male? I wonder if I had the stereotype of a manager being male."

"I wanted to empower pregnant students to speak up"

Film category Bechdelian Writer Award 〈Minimal Goodness〉 Writer Kim Soo-yeon

The film 〈Minimal Goodness〉 deals with the story of a teacher experiencing infertility and a pregnant student, but it takes a very different path from the narratives typically seen in stories about 'student pregnancy'. 〈Minimal Goodness〉 persuasively depicts the process of overcoming differences between generations and positions through the relationship between the pregnant student and the teacher.

Writer Kim Soo-yeon, selected as a Bechdelian in the film category, expressed her gratitude, saying, "It was a small film that could have been overlooked, but I am happy that 〈Minimal Goodness〉 has the opportunity to be screened again on the big screen."

Kim Soo-yeon shared her process of writing 〈Minimal Goodness〉, stating, "Usually, when a student is pregnant, it starts from a negative perspective. I was the same. So, there was 'Hee-yeon' (Jang Yoon-joo) in the process of persuading myself. I constantly tried to develop the story while testing the teacher." She added, "When I indirectly researched (cases of student pregnancy), I hardly saw students who confidently spoke about their rights and opinions. So, I wanted to portray a student who speaks up and grows by making her own decisions and choices."

Meanwhile, Kim Soo-yeon encouraged aspiring writers, saying, "We have the freedom and right to think freely without fear. If you are a writer, that is an obligation."

"My dream is to make a film like 〈Erin Brockovich〉 someday"

Film category Bechdelian Producer Award 〈Victory〉 〈High Five〉 Producer Lee Anna

Lee Anna, the head of Annapurna Film, showcased the solidarity of positive women cheering for a better environment through the group activity of cheerleading in 〈Victory〉, and broke the barriers of gender and age in superhero films with the teenage hero, 'Yogurt Lady' in 〈High Five〉, earning her name in the film category producer award.

Regarding her production of films featuring a significant number of female protagonists and the stories of ordinary people, Lee Anna speculated, "While trying to depict the small growth stories of ordinary people, I ended up creating female characters. My early filmography includes 〈Scandal Makers〉 and 〈Sunny〉, and I think I found joy in creating the character of Park Bo-young in 〈Scandal Makers〉 and the growth of the seven characters in 〈Sunny〉." She added, "While making 〈Victory〉, I received support, and with 〈High Five〉, I felt like I gained superpowers when it was released." She expressed her hope that various audiences would empathize with her story from different perspectives, considering what the characters could represent and what elements of empathy they could provide to the audience.

Lee Anna also revealed her significant goal as a producer at this event. She stated, "My favorite movie is 〈Erin Brockovich〉 (2000). I have a goal to make such a film until I finish making movies. It may not be my next film, but someday, I definitely want to tell a story of a woman's growth and success."

"A 'boy's comic' of a society made up only of women, 〈Jeongnyeoni〉"

Series category Bechdelian Director Award 〈Jeongnyeoni〉 Director Jeong Ji-in

Director Jeong Ji-in, who was selected as a Bechdelian director for the series category in 2022 with 〈The Red Sleeve〉, has now been honored with a second selection as a Bechdelian with 〈Jeongnyeoni〉. Director Jeong Ji-in stated, "Since my debut, I have always worked on projects with female protagonists. I never thought of them as specifically female narrative works, but I have always worked on projects with female protagonists," explaining the deep connection she has with Bechdel Day.

The work 〈Jeongnyeoni〉, directed by Jeong Ji-in, showcases the growth story of Jeongnyeoni, a woman active in a female national theater troupe in the 1950s, shedding light on the forgotten genre of 'female national theater'. Director Jeong Ji-in defined 〈Jeongnyeoni〉 as "a story of people striving towards a single goal in a society of women." She also mentioned, "Following such narratives, I thought it would resemble the formulas found in boy's comics, which are typically made up of male characters."

Furthermore, Director Jeong noted that by breaking away from the jealousy formula often depicted in relationships among women, she was able to explore a wider variety of relationships intimately. She questioned, "If relationships are formed only through jealousy and rivalry, it is naturally not interesting. Female characters may admire each other, see each other as rivals, and have dislikes, but we felt we were depicting the relationships that have always existed. In fact, it has always been there in dramas, but perhaps it was expressed through jealousy or rivalry due to male characters or other elements."

"A series of choices that should not be made as a producer in 〈Quiet Sales〉,

Yet, stories with determination are needed. Selling is our job"

Series category Bechdelian Producer Award 〈Quiet Sales〉 Shin Hye-mi

〈Quiet Sales〉 is a drama about the independence, growth, and friendship of four 'sales sisters' who ventured into adult product door-to-door sales in a rural village in 1992, a time when 'sex' was taboo. Just from the synopsis, one can imagine how difficult it must have been to schedule this work. In fact, Shin Hye-mi, who produced 〈Quiet Sales〉, experienced "all the hurdles one could expect" during production, stating, "This work made all the choices that a producer should not make, such as 19+ material, period drama, and multi-casting of middle-aged women. I regretted it at times, but being selected as a Bechdelian makes me feel that I can now create more reckless works." She expressed her joy at being selected as a Bechdelian, saying, "It seems like a message to have a little more courage."

Despite using all those provocative materials, 〈Quiet Sales〉 is an impressive comedy-drama with a lively and cheerful tone. Shin Hye-mi stated, "Because the material is minor, if the drama were also minor, people would not watch it. So, I wanted to create a drama that is as cute, lovable, and full of humanism as possible. In fact, the era and ignorance are the villains, and there are no villains among the protagonists. So, I think people viewed it cutely." She also mentioned, "The experiences of the protagonists, including Jeong-sook in 〈Quiet Sales〉, were similar. The world was not easy, but that is why we could unite."

Meanwhile, Shin Hye-mi addressed many creators who are struggling with whether to compromise with reality, saying, "When creating a story, the core question is 'Is this story really interesting?' What we always say is, 'Why listen to the market's story? What matters is that it is interesting.' Just push forward with determination. Selling is our job."