Director of Award-Winning Documentary “The Apology” to Speak at University of Dubuque
Nov 1, 2018 | University Relations staff
DUBUQUE, Iowa – Tiffany Hsiung, director of the award-winning documentary The Apology, will speak about violence against women, social responsibility, humanity, and more on Monday, Nov. 12, at 6:15 p.m. in Blades Chapel on the University of Dubuque campus.
Within Every Woman: A Film Screening and Discussion with Film Director Tiffany Hsiung is free and open to the public. The event will include a screening of Within Every Woman, a 33-minute version of The Apology, which explores the history of “comfort women,” a term used to describe more than 200,000 women and girls forced into sexual slavery in Asia during World War II. The film follows the journey of three former “comfort women” and emphasizes their resilience and inspiring strength as they struggle with trauma and seek justice.
The presentation is sponsored by the UD Asian Student Union, ALPHA Education, National Film Board of Canada, Wendt Character Initiative, UD Honors Council, and UD Student Government Association.
“Bringing Tiffany Hsiung is important on so many levels. Sex slavery and human trafficking are big issues and they’re often neglected because talking about it makes people feel uncomfortable. The issue of comfort women is important. History has a trend of repeating itself. We are very lucky that Tiffany Hsiung, a world-renowned advocate who has been asked to speak in front of the United Nations on this topic, to help mediate this difficult conversation,” said Christopher Doll, director of the Charles C. Myers Library and faculty advisor of the Asian Student Union.
The Apology premiered on the PBS documentary series POV on Oct. 22 and is available for streaming until Nov. 20. It has received numerous awards including Best Documentary Feature at the 2018 LA Women’s International Festival.
“Having Ms. Tiffany Hsiung visit Dubuque will challenge us to reflect on the issue of violence against women on a global scale rather than just locally. Oftentimes we’re so focused on what’s going on in our immediate environment that we isolate ourselves from global issues and from affecting change on a larger scale. Our encounter with Ms. Hsiung and her film will enable us to spread awareness about injustices and be a part of the movement to bring justice forward. From this, I hope we will learn from their actions and efforts and build a community of support that extends well past our immediate neighborhoods,” said Evelin Ortiz, president of the Asian Student Union.
