On the morning of April 16, 2014, the ro-ro/passenger ferry MV Sewol, traveling from Incheon to Jeju in South Korea, capsized and sank. Of the 476 passengers and crew, 304 died, including 250 students on a class trip. Questions as to why the overloaded and unstable ferry was allowed to sail, combined with the inept rescue and recovery efforts, directly contributed to the impeachment of South Korean President Park Geun-hye.

Now a gripping documentary, In the Absence, directed by Yi Seung-Jun and Gary Byung-Seok Kam, looks at the events of the sinking and its aftermath. The documentary has been nominated for an Academy Award for Documentary (Short Subject).  The 28-minute documentary allows the tragic story to unfold using radio transmissions between the ship and the Korean Coast Guard, along with video and commentary by survivors, their families, civilian rescue divers, and poignantly, even the victims, captured from video on cell phones recovered from the sunken ferry.    

The documentary is available online and is embedded below.  It is a tragic story, beautifully told, and well worth watching.

In the Absence

Thanks to Roberta Weisbrod for contributing to this post.