JERONIMO

I arrived in Havana in December 2015 for a week of backpacking. To my surprise, my taxi driver at the airport was a fourth generation Korean Cuban, an encounter that changed not only my trip, but also the course of my life in the years following. As a second generation Korean American, I have realized over the years that awareness and appreciation of one's roots in the larger narrative of global migration and citizenry are crucial for having a solid foundation of oneself – something that is at the heart of the story of Jerónimo, his family and other ethnic Koreans in Cuba.

The notion of ethnic identity and one's relationship to the homeland is something many Korean Cubans have struggled with for decades. Cuba only ever has had diplomatic relations with North Korea, yet it was South Koreans that came to help Korean descendants in Cuba. During our filming, we were repeatedly told by Korean Cubans that one of their most earnest wishes was to see the two Koreas reunited. After all, the homeland that their ancestors had left behind at the turn of the twentieth century was just one Korea. Now, with the recent presidential summit between North and South Korea, raising hopes for a peaceful resolution, the little known story of Korean Cubans, Jeronimo in particular, symbolizes a painful history of 75 years of division.

With Jeronimo, I thus hope to make a film that is timely in its subject matter, unveils a forgotten chapter in history and portrays an individual whose life story delivers a universal message of unity and humanity.