The Korean Film Council has defended its decision to provide government funding to Tamako, a Korea-Japan co-production that has drawn controversy over its treatment of historical events.
A KOFIC official confirmed on September 28th that Tamako was among the projects selected for the second half of the agency’s 2026 Co-Production Fund. KOFIC’s official selection list shows the film receiving 150 million won (approximately $110,000) in support.
Tamako follows a Japanese boy who loses his parents in the 1945 atomic bombing of Hiroshima, travels to Korea with a Zainichi Korean and later experiences the Korean War while searching for his identity.
Because the story deals with both Japan’s colonial rule of Korea and Japanese victims of the atomic bombing, concerns have been raised over how the history would be portrayed, with scrutiny increasing after the government funding became public.
KOFIC rejected suggestions that the project distorts history.
“‘Tamako’ does deal with historical events, but it is completely unrelated to historical distortion,” an official said. “None of the five judges found anything that could be considered controversial.”
The official added that the film “shows the role art can play in human relationships and carries a message about how all of us living in the present must coexist and move forward together.”
The film is directed by Junji Sakamoto, known for socially conscious works including Korea-Japan co-production KT, which dealt with the kidnapping of former South Korean President Kim Dae Jung, as well as Children of the Dark and Okiku and the World.
Shim Eun Kyung and singer WOODZ, who had previously been linked to the film, will not participate. WOODZ said he declined the project after reading the script, although reports of his casting had already surfaced by then. Shim’s agency likewise said she received an offer but ultimately turned it down.
Tamako is being co-produced by Korea’s Jin Pictures and Japan’s Central Arts. The KOFIC Co-Production Fund, launched this year, supports international feature co-productions with grants of up to 500 million won per project.
Filming is expected to begin in Kyoto in November, with a release targeted for fall 2027.
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