Tiffany Hsiung is an award-winning filmmaker based in Toronto. Since 2009, Hsiung has been documenting the lives of survivors of military sexual slavery during World War II; for the past six years, Hsiung has been advocating in communities and universities across North America for them. (Press materials)

W&H: Describe the film for us in your own words.

TH: “The Apology” is a story about the present-day lives of three grandmothers who are former “comfort women,” a euphemism used to describe over 200,000 girls who were forced into sexual slavery by the Imperial Japanese Army during WWII in Asia.

The film documents their struggle with shame, silence, and memory loss, all the while showing the grandmothers’ resilience as they continue to fight for an official apology from the Japanese government.

W&H: What drew you to this story?

TH: My personal experience with silence and shame naturally drew me to the grandmothers’ story as I observed their ongoing battles with their family and how hard it was for the grandmothers to talk about their past with them. What kept me engaged and in awe was the incredible strength they kept up for the people around them.

How does one find the will to live and carry on after being ripped away from their family at such a young age and forced into a life of systematic rape for years upon years? How does one heal scars that have both mentally and physically reshaped you as a human being?

Time was running out, and I knew I needed to make this film, not just for the grandmothers but for all of us. I felt responsible because they needed a witness to their lives so that the truth does not get lost when they’ve all passed away. I wanted to make a film that would reflect on their past experience but focus solely on their lives today, to honor and reveal these unsung sheroes who have bravely shared their story with the world.

W&H: What do you want people to think about when they are leaving the theater?

TH: People need to see the personal in this political fight for justice to understand why this apology means so much to the grandmothers — why this means so much to all of us. They fight for justice so that we don’t have to. They are setting the path for us in hopes that we don’t have to go through this in our lifetime.

Ultimately, through this film, I would like the audience to be motivated to see the role they play in the lives of those they love. To experience how they can help one another out of isolation, shame, and loneliness in the fight towards abolishing violence against women.

W&H: What was the biggest challenge in making the film?

TH: The biggest challenge for me was the race against time and the inevitable loss of so many grandmothers whom I’d met over the years.

W&H: How did you get your film funded? Share some insights into how you got the film made.

TH: “The Apology” has gone through a unique evolution over the course of seven years. We were first funded through the love and support of hundreds of community members and organizations in Toronto. In 2011, we held a successful Kickstarter campaign that allowed us to reach a wider audience and receive further funding that sent us back to Asia to continue documenting the grandmothers’ lives.

In 2013, I met National Film Board producer Anita Lee, who had always felt strongly about sharing the story of the grandmothers and the history of the “comfort women” issue. From then on, I had the amazing opportunity to work with Anita and the NFB of Canada to make “The Apology” the film that it is today.

W&H: What’s the best and worst advice you’ve received?

TH: The best: “Documentaries are bigger than filmmakers.”

The worst: “Don’t worry — you can fix it in post.”

W&H: What advice do you have for other female directors?

TH: Learn as much as you can about the technical aspects of every key creative role on your team so that you understand what’s possible and what’s not.

W&H: Name your favorite woman-directed film and why.

TH: “Water” by Deepa Mehta. Aside from it being a beautifully complex, layered film about culture, traditions, and the oppression of women, Deepa’s seven-year process to make this film possible, despite all the obstacles and attempts to silence this story, is incredibly inspiring.