Serving as a window into the labour movement in contemporary Korea, Sanda: Surviving chronicles the daily lives of a group of middle-aged workers in Korea Telecom, all of whom have suffered a great deal of hardship throughout their career. They refused the company’s demand for early retirement and, as revenge, the company transferred them to remote regions, assigned them unusually difficult tasks, and systematically bullied them. The workers defy the company’s vindictive actions, singing and shouting their way through various protests and disrupting corporate events. Rather than just surviving their job, they focus on living a joyful life full of dancing and travelling.
The Asia Pacific Screen Academy expresses its respect for and acknowledgement of the South East Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. We pay our respects to the Traditional Owners of country, including the custodial communities on whose land works are created and celebrated by the Asia Pacific Screen Awards. We acknowledge the continuing connection to land, waters and communities. We also pay our respects to Elders, past and present. We recognise the integral role Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and First Nations peoples continue to play in storytelling and celebration spaces.
