'A Diary of Woman': The First Korean Color Film

Seen as a pivotal moment in Korean cinema's technological evolution, its director, Hong Seong-gi, allegedly assembled technicians for the production in a milieu where filmmaking experts were rare

- DEBASHREE DUTTA

IF YOU SKIM MY STORIES, you know Korean cinema can get me to a fever pitch thanks to its genius. That said, besides sampling a wider variety of Korean films, I’m raring to go about things, yes, with bells on, to learn more about their past, and in a bid, I’d often be trawling Korean movie archives. This post follows suit; it’s about Hong Seong-gi’s 1949 16mm A Diary of Woman, the first Korean color film to premiere in Korean cinema following independence. I assume that if you’re also into Korean cinema or a film fan in general, this should be an interesting read.

A Diary of Woman, which documents the