JERONIMO

[The Untold Tales of Koreans in Cuba]

Watch Trailer

About the documentary

Born in 1926 to Korean indentured servant parents in Cuba, Jeronimo joins the Cuban revolution and crosses paths with Fidel Castro and Che Guevara, before turning to his Korean roots and identity.

View screening information here.

Timeline

Click through the images!

1905

Immigration to Mexico

1033 Koreans board a cargo ship to Mexico after being told it flows with milk and honey, and that 4 years of labor would guarantee enough funds to return to Korea and live comfortably. *A 2 year old Cheontaek Lim boards the ship with his single mother.

1905 - 1909

Henequen Farms

Koreans arrive in Mexico who are sold to 22 landlords who place them in their Henequen farms. Then begins 4 years of enslavement with little or no basic rights.

1910

Japanese Colonization

Korea is officially annexed by Japan and disappears off the map. Koreans living in Mexico lose their nationality and refuse to be registered as Japanese nationals as demanded by the Japanese embassy.

1921

Cuban Immigration

A group of 300 or so Koreans immigrate to Cuba to seek better life, only to find the conditions just as lamentable. Most find their home at henequen farms in Cuba. *Cheontaek Lim is included in this group.

1926

Jeronimo Lim's Birth

Jeronimo Lim is born as the first son of Cheontaek Lim.

1935 - 42

Independence Movement

Cheontaek Lim raises funds among Koreans in Cuba to support Kim Goo at the Korean Provisional Government in Shanghai and Korea's independence movement against Japanese occupation.

1946

Jeronimo's Education

Jeronimo attends Havana University - the first Korean to be admitted into college. He studies law and one of his classmates was Fidel Castro.

1949 - 59

Jeronimo and Politics

Jeronimo joins and actively leads the Orthodox party that later became part of the Guerrilla movement that toppled the Batista's corrupted government.

1960

Jeronimo's Career

Jeronimo serves the new Cuban government for nearly 3 decades, and at one point, serves as Director of the Department of the Food Industry while Che is the Minister.

2001 - 2005

Korean Commemoration

Jeronimo leads an effort to erect the Korean Monuments in Manati and Matanzas to commemorate the 80th year of Korean immigration to Cuba.

2006

Jeronimo's Death

Jeronimo suddenly passes away during what was to be a minor surgery.

2015

Joseph's Cuba Trip

Joseph travels to Cuba, and coincidentally meets Patricia Lim, Jeronimo's daughter, and is fascinated by the story of Jeronimo.

2016

Documentary Production

Joseph returns to Cuba with crew members Jennifer, Grace, Kihoon, Jaesun, and William, meeting 100 Koreans and interviewing 35 people in search of Jeronimo's legacy and the history of Koreans in Cuba.

2017

Documentary Launch

The feature-length documentary, Jeronimo, is expected to be released.

"Jeronimo is a very important project for our lifetime, remembering unsung heroes who dedicated their lives to liberation."

- Korean Buddhist monk, Bub-ryun (법륜스님)

Recent Blog Posts

Facebook Post 2020-09-22T08:21:38+0000

Published by

"CHOSEN: 선택받은자" 프로젝트의 진행상황이 "헤로니모" 영화제 소식과 같이 언급이 되었습니다. http://www.ikoreanspirit.com/news/articleView.html... 열흘 후인 10월 3일에 후원금 모금 캠페인이 종료됩니다. 현재 6만불이 모금되었고 남은 열흘간 8만불을 채우지 못한다면 현재까지의 금액도 모두 소멸되는 시스템입니다. 이 프로젝트를 통해 재미한인과 재외동포들의 삶을 통해 한인과 국제세계 사이의 긴장관계와 그 안에서의 공존에 대해 성찰해보는 작품이 될것입니다. 여러분께서 조금씩만 도와주신다면 제작비 마련이 더 수월하게 진행될 수 있을거라 믿습니다. 후원금 사이트: https://bit.ly/32kfdSS 감사드립니다! #CHOSENdocumentary #선택받는자

Facebook Post 2020-09-17T07:12:57+0000

Published by

Friends of JERONIMO, This coming Friday, Sept 18 from 4PM-7PM PDT (7PM-10PM EST), KACF-SF and CKA (Council of Korean Americans) are co-hosting a virtual JERONIMO movie night! We have over 220 people signed up already, and have some spots left for additional people. Director Joseph and a special guest of Jeronimo's family member will join the Q&A after the virtual screening. Please sign up here! http://bit.ly/jeronimo-rsvp 안녕하신지요! 이번주 금요일 9월 18일, 미국 서부시간 오후 4시부터 7시까지, 동부시간 오후 7시부터 10시까지, 서울시간 오전 8시부터 11시까지 미국의 저명한 두 단체, KACF센프란 지부와 CKA (Council of Korean Americans) 주최로 "헤로니모" 다큐멘터리 영화 상영과 감독과의 대화가 있습니다. 현재까지 220명이 예약을 했고 30명 추가 예약을 받을 수 있습니다. 영화는 영어자막 제공, 질의응답도 영어로 진행될 예정입니다. 관심있으신 분들께서는 아래 링크에서 예약을 하시면 되시겠습니다. http://bit.ly/jeronimo-rsvp #Jeronimo #jeronimomovie Jeronimo 헤로니모 #KACFSF #CouncilofKoreanAmerican

Contact the Director

© 2020 Jeronimo the Movie - Website by Jennifer Prufer