>> Sreenivasan: IN THIS ERA OF

"ME TOO," SURVIVORS OF SEXUAL

ASSAULT HAVE BEEN COMING FORWARD

WITH THEIR PERSONAL STORIES,

SOMETIMES FROM DECADES AGO.

THIS WEEK, P.O.V. PREMIERES THE

DOCUMENTARY, "THE APOLOGY."

IT FOLLOWS THE JOURNEY OF THREE

FORMER "COMFORT WOMEN," WHO,

70 YEARS AGO, WERE FORCED INTO

SEXUAL SLAVERY, DURING WORLD

WAR II.

DECADES AFTER LIVING IN SILENCE,

THEY TOO CAME FORWARD YEARS AGO,

SPARKING A "ME TOO" MOVEMENT OF

THEIR GENERATION.

TIFFANY HSIUNG IS THE DIRECTOR

OF THE P.O.V. DOCUMENTARY,

"THE APOLOGY."

SHE JOINS US NOW.

THE IDEA OF COMFORT WOMEN--

I MEAN, THAT'S A EUPHEMISM.

THESE WERE SEX SLAVES.

LET'S JUST KIND OF BE UP FRONT

ABOUT THAT.

WHAT HAPPENED TO MOST OF THEM?

HOW MANY WERE THERE?

>> OVER 200,000 YOUNG WOMEN AND

GIRLS WERE KIDNAPPED AND COERCED

INTO THESE MILITARY SEXUAL

SLAVERY SYSTEM.

IT WAS AN INSTITUTIONALIZED

SYSTEM THAT WAS REALLY, AT THE

END OF THE DAY, PROTECTING THE

SOLDIERS FROM CONTRACTING

VENERIAL DISEASES.

SO, DOCTORS AND NURSES WERE

BROUGHT IN, NOT TO PROTECT THE

WOMEN, BUT TO ACTUALLY PROTECT

THE SOLDIERS, SO THEY CAN

ACTUALLY CONTINUE TO FIGHT.

>> Sreenivasan: YOU HAVE THE

ABILITY TO LOOK INTO THE LIVES

OF THREE VERY DIFFERENT WOMEN,

WHO TELL YOU VERY DIFFERENT

STORIES.

THE CHINESE CHARACTER IN YOUR

FILM, WHAT HAPPENED TO HER?

>> GRANDMA CHOW HAD SUCH A

HORRIFIC STORY.

NOT ONLY WAS SHE TAKEN FROM HER

VILLAGE, ONLY TWO MILES AWAY

FROM HER HOME, BUT SHE GOT

IMPREGNATED TWICE WHILE SHE WAS

TAKEN.

AND DURING THOSE PREGNANCIES,

SHE ACTUALLY ABORTED THE BABIES

HERSELF, BECAUSE SHE KNEW THAT

SHE COULDN'T BRING THE CHILDREN

THAT SHE WOULD GIVE BIRTH TO

BACK TO HER VILLAGE.

AND SO, THAT HAPPENED TO HER

TWICE WHILE SHE WAS AT THE

COMFORT STATION, AND BY THE TIME

SHE HAD RETURNED BACK HOME, SHE

WAS UNABLE TO CONCEIVE A CHILD

EVER AGAIN.

>> Sreenivasan: AND YOU ARE

ABLE TO DOCUMENT THE

CONVERSATIONS THAT WERE

HAPPENING WITH HER FAMILY.

>> WHILE WE WERE MAKING THE

FILM, IT WAS TO MY SURPRISE THAT

HER ADOPTED CHILDREN-- HER

DAUGHTER, THAT SHE LIVES VERY

CLOSE TO-- DIDN'T KNOW ANYTHING

ABOUT THIS.

AND SO, REALLY, THE POINT OF

MAKING "THE APOLOGY" WAS TO

UNDERSTAND THE COMPLEXITIES OF

EVEN TELLING THESE HORRIFIC

STORIES TO THE PEOPLE CLOSEST TO

YOU, TO THE PEOPLE THAT YOU

LOVE.

AND I THINK FOR TODAY, WE NEED

TO UNDERSTAND THOSE

COMPLEXITIES, TO UNDERSTAND WHY

IT TAKES SO LONG TO HAVE THAT

COURAGE, TO BE ABLE TO SHARE

STORIES PUBLICLY, EVEN.

>> Sreenivasan: AND THERE'S A

WOMAN FROM THE PHILIPPINES THAT

YOU PROFILE.

SHE'S CARRYING THE GUILT OF ALL

THIS FOR NOT REVEALING THIS TO

HER NOW-DEAD HUSBAND.

>> SHE WAITED TILL HER HUSBAND

PASSED AWAY, FOR ALL HER

CHILDREN TO LEAVE HER NEST, FOR

HER TO EVEN JOIN A GROUP OF

SURVIVORS.

YOU KNOW, SHE WAS ALWAYS SCARED

THAT THIS WOULD BREAK HER

FAMILY.

OUT OF ALL THE THREE

GRANDMOTHERS THAT WE FIMMED, SHE

WAS ONE THAT WAS ABLE TO GET

MARRIED, WAS ABLE TO BIRTH HER

OWN CHILDREN, TO HAVE THIS

FAMILY.

AND SO, IN MANY WAYS, YOU CAN

THINK THAT SHE HAD SO MUCH TO

LOSE IF SHE HAD COME OUT WHILE

HER HUSBAND WAS ALIVE, WHILE HER

CHILDREN WERE STILL LIVING WITH

HER.

>> WILL YOU EVER TELL YOUR

CHILDREN?

>> NEVER.

I AM NEVER TELLING ANYONE.

THEY WOULD BE ASHAMED OF ME.

THEY WOULD BE ASHAMED OF ME, I

KNOW.

THEY WILL, YES.

>> SO, THAT WEIGHT OF, YOU KNOW,

SHAME AND STIGMA ON HER SHOULDER

CARRIED OVER AND OVER AND OVER

ALL THESE YEARS, TILL SHE WAS

80 YEARS OLD.

AND WHEN SHE REVEALED TO ME THAT

SHE, YOU KNOW, SHE WANTED TO ONE

DAY-- HER WISH WAS TO ONE DAY

TELL HER CHILDREN.

>> Sreenivasan: WHERE DOES THE

FILM GO FROM HERE, NOW THAT IT'S

BEING SCREENED ON PBS?

IT HAS BEEN RUNNING FOR A COUPLE

OF YEARS, WITH SCREENINGS AROUND

THE COUNTRY.

WHAT DO YOU DO WITH IT?

WHAT DO YOU HOPE WITH IT?

>> I MEAN, I'M HOPING THAT WITH

THE RISE OF THE "ME TOO"

MOVEMENT AND TIME'S UP MOVEMENT,

THAT WE AS A COLLECTIVE

COMMUNITY AND GLOBAL COMMUNITY

CAN SEE THAT WE CAN'T IGNORE

PAST ISSUES AND PAST ATROCITIES,

THAT IF WE JUST LET THIS GO,

IF WE DON'T ADDRESS THIS, THAT,

YOU KNOW, IT JUST SHOWS, YOU

KNOW, HOW WOMEN ARE VIEWED IN

SOCIETY STILL TODAY.

AND THAT'S WHY, IF WE CAN'T

RECOGNIZE THIS, HISTORY WILL

REPEAT ITSELF.

AND THE GRANDMOTHERS FIGHT TODAY

NOT JUST FOR THE JUSTICE THEY

HAVE BEEN SEEKING FOR, BUT ALSO

FOR THE NEXT GENERATION.

SO REALLY, IT'S OUR COLLECTIVE

RESPONSIBILITY TO UNITE

TOGETHER, TO FIGHT WITH THEM.

>> Sreenivasan: I WANT TO ALSO

ASK, YOU'VE BECOME AN HONORARY

GRANDDAUGHTER TO MANY OF THESE

WOMEN, AND YOU ALSO HAVE KIND OF

A PERSONAL JOURNEY WHILE YOU'RE

MAKING THIS, OVER A SIX-YEAR

PERIOD.

YOU WERE A SURVIVOR OF SEXUAL

ASSAULT WHEN YOU WERE A CHILD?

WATCHING THESE WOMEN, AND WHAT

THEY'VE LIVED THROUGH, WHAT DID

IT TEACH YOU?

>> THESE GRANDMOTHERS TAUGHT ME

SO MUCH ABOUT WHAT RESILIENCE

LOOKS LIKE, WHAT COURAGE LOOKS

LIKE, PERSEVERANCE, SACRIFICE.

TO TRULY UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW,

THE WEIGHT OF WHAT SHAME LOOKS

LIKE ON AN 80-YEAR-OLD WOMAN,

AND TO SEE THEM OVERCOME THAT

HAS BROUGHT ME SO MUCH

INSPIRATION THAT I NEVER THOUGHT

WOULD HAPPEN WHILE MAKING THIS

FILM.

YOU KNOW, I ALWAYS THOUGHT THAT

IT WOULD JUST BE ME HELPING TO

SHARE THEIR STORIES, BUT REALLY,

THEY'VE HELPED ME.

THEY'VE HELPED ME COME TO TERMS

WITH A LOT OF THE THINGS THAT I

HAD GONE THROUGH, AND MY HOPE IS

THAT THIS FILM ALSO HELPS MANY

OTHER PEOPLE AS WELL, MANY OTHER

WOMEN AND PEOPLE THAT HAVE A

STORY THAT THEY WANT TO SHARE,

THAT THEY TOO ARE LOOKING FOR

THAT COURAGE AND INSPIRATION TO

ALSO SHARE THEIR STORIES.

SO, I HOPE THAT THAT ALSO

RESONATES WITH MANY PEOPLE

AROUND THE WORLD AS WELL.

>> Sreenivasan: THERE'S A PLACE

WHERE THEY HAVE WEEKLY

DEMONSTRATIONS OUTSIDE THE

JAPANESE EMBASSY ABOUT THIS.

THERE'S ACTUALLY A STATUE

COMMEMORATING THIS.

LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT A CLIP.

>> Sreenivasan: WHEN YOU LOOK

ACROSS THAT SEA OF PROTESTORS,

THAT'S NOT WHAT YOU EXPECT THE

YOUNG RABBLE ROUSERS TO BE.

THESE ARE ACTUAL GRANDMAS THAT

HAVE SURVIVED THIS, AND THEY'RE

COMING ON A WEEKLY BASIS TO KEEP

PRESSING THIS ISSUE.

>> EVERY WEDNESDAY, RAIN OR

SHINE, SINCE 1992, THEY HAVE

BEEN DEMONSTRATING OUTSIDE THE

JAPANESE EMBASSY IN SEOUL,

KOREA.

AND TO SEE THAT FOOTAGE AGAIN, I

MEAN, IT WAS SUCH A POWERFUL

DAY, BUT WHEN WE WERE TALKING TO

GRANDMA GILL PRIOR TO THE

DEMONSTRATION, I SAID-- I ASKED

HER HOW SHE FELT.

AND SHE SAID, SADNESS.

SADNESS THAT, BACK THEN WHEN WE

FILMED THAT, IT WAS A 1,000th.

LIKE, WHY HAS IT TAKEN 1,000th

DEMONSTRATION, AND WE'RE STILL

GOING ON.

AND IT'S STILL HAPPENING TODAY.

WE'RE STILL DEMONSTRATING.

>> Sreenivasan: WHAT IS THE SORT

OF CURRENT STATUS OF RELATIONS

BETWEEN JAPAN AND ALL THESE

DIFFERENT COUNTRIES?

IN 2015, THERE WAS KIND OF A

BILLION-YEN SETTLEMENT, THAT

THEY THOUGHT WOULD TRY TO MOVE

THINGS FORWARD, BUT JUST THIS,

YOU KNOW, VERY-- JUST A FEW

WEEKS AGO, YOU'VE GOT THE CITY

OF OSAKA CUTTING TIES WITH THE

CITY OF SAN FRANSISCO, THEIR

SISTER CITIES RELATIONSHIP,

BECAUSE OF ONE OF THESE STATUES

ON THE WEST COAST.

>> RIGHT NOW, YOU KNOW, AS MORE

PEOPLE ARE UNDERSTANDING THE

HISTORY AND THE ISSUES, WITH THE

GRANDMOTHERS STILL, STILL

FIGHTING FOR AN APOLOGY, EVEN

AFTER THE 2015 AGREEMENT BETWEEN

THE TWO GOVERNMENTS--

YOU KNOW, MORE COUNTRIES ARE

SUPPORTING WITH THE BRONZE

STATUE, ERECTING IT INTO THEIR

OWN CITIES EVERYWHERE.

HOWEVER, BECAUSE THEY'RE DOING

THAT, THE JAPANESE GOVERNMENT

STILL DOESN'T WANT TO

ACKNOWLEDGE, IN FACT, WANTS TO

REMOVE THESE STATUES, AND NOT

TAKE THE OWNERSHIP AND

RESPONSIBILITY OF HOW THEY

ACTUALLY, YOU KNOW, DROVE THE

HELM BEHIND THIS

INSTITUTIONALIZED SEXUAL SLAVERY

SYSTEM.

AND SO, THAT STILL GOES ON

TODAY, THAT'S STILL HAPPENING

TODAY, UNFORTUNATELY, BUT, YOU

KNOW, WITH MOVEMENTS LIKE THE

METOO CAMPAIGN AND, LIKE,

EVERYTHING THAT'S HAPPENING

GLOBALLY, I THINK THAT MORE AND

MORE PEOPLE ARE STANDING BEHIND

THIS MOVEMENT, AND STANDING

BEHIND THESE STATUES AND MAKING

SURE THAT THEY AREN'T REMOVED,

BECAUSE IT REALLY IS

SYMBOLIZING, YOU KNOW, HOW WOMEN

ARE VIEWED IN SOCIETY TODAY.

YOU KNOW, IT'S VERY MUCH A

GLOBAL ISSUE.

>> Sreenivasan: HOW MUCH OF A

DIFFERENCE WAS THE COMPOSITION

OF THE STAFF-- AT LEAST THE

GENDER OF THE STAFF, IN MAKING

THIS FILM, AND THE FINAL PRODUCT

THAT WE HAVE?

>> IT'S HUGE.

"THE APOLOGY" WAS MADE WITH THE

NATIONAL FILM BOARD OF CANADA,

WITH INCREDIBLE PRODUCTION TEAM,

OUR PRODUCER, ANITA LEE, OUR

EDITOR, MARY STEPHEN, COMPOSER

LESLEY BARBER.

A MAJORITY OF THE STAFF ARE

INCREDIBLE, PIONEERING, FEMALE

FILMMAKERS THEMSELVES.

AND TO HAVE THAT FEMALE LENS, TO

BE ABLE TO CAPTURE THE NUANCES

AND THE AFTERMATH OF WHAT THESE

WOMEN HAD GONE THROUGH AND WHAT

THEIR DYNAMICS ARE WITH THE

FAMILY, IS SO IMPORTANT FOR

PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND, TO CONNECT

WITH THE GRANDMOTHER'S STORIES,

TO CONNECT WITH THESE ISSUES.

AND, AND TO NOT ISOLATE THIS

ISSUE AS AN "ASIAN ISSUE," AS A

HISTORICAL ISSUE, TO TRULY

CONNECT WITH THEM AS PEOPLE

FIRST.

>> Sreenivasan: THE DOCUMENTARY

IS CALLED "THE APOLOGY."

TIFFANY HSIUNG, THANKS SO MUCH

FOR JOINING US.

>> THANK YOU.