Finding Feruza

"Finding Feruza” is a feature - length documentary that follows the ten-year journey of Yeyoung, a Korean animation artist, and Feruza, an Ethiopian girl. Through an unexpected friendship, they search for identity, purpose, and healing together.

Ten years ago, Ye-young left her career as an animation artist thinking her dream didn't feed her enough. Suffering from depression caused by her continuous failures at work, Ye-young finally plucked her courage to go on a trip. Full of joy and pleasure, her travel ended up in a small village in Ethiopia meeting a 16-year-old girl, Feruza. Feruza has a big and bright smile though she was pushed to get married in such a young age. She welcomed and cared for Ye-young like her own family. They quickly became friends. Ye-young wanted to help Feruza to avoid the early marriage. Ye-young thought if she made a film about Feruza, Feruza should be with her and it helped Feruza to be free from the pressure of family. Moreover, she thought if the completed film was selected for the festivals, Feruza finally could leave her home and experience the new world. Ye-young started to film Feruza and also to draw her for the animation. Eventually, Feruza became her muse. Ye-young made a short film about Feruza, and it hit Korean society leading Feruza to come to Korea for film festivals. They became really close friends and supported each other. However, in 2020, the Tigray War broke out and suddenly Ye-young lost all contact with Feruza. Worried about Feruza, Ye-young decides to go to Ethiopia again.

We made a short documentary about our first encount with Feruza, which was released in 2017. Luckily, we were able to introduce Feruza to the public audiences by being featured in the main news of KBS, a Korean public broadcaster, and topping the real-time search ranking of Korean search portals. Through this film, Feruza visited the Korean Film Festival in 2017 and 2018, and many people have been wondering what Feruza has been up to, cheering for her dream.

The ongoing "Finding Feruza" is a feature-length documentary about the wars and religious conflicts that Feruza faced in her life over the next decade, and the growth, friendship, and love of the character in it. The project is currently underway with the goal of completing it by the end of the year 2025.