Documentary backdrop image for This Island is Ours (2016)

Documentary backdrop image for This Island is Ours (2016)

201654 minGdocumentary

Conflict Civil Rights

This Island is Ours

201654 minGdocumentary

Two activists from Korea and Japan campaign for the sovereignty of the disputed Dokdo/Takeshima islets, currently controlled by Korea.

Conflict Civil Rights

Genres

Directors

Alexander Bukh,

Synopsis

Two activists from Korea and Japan campaign for the sovereignty of the disputed Dokdo/Takeshima islets, currently controlled by Korea.

People

Alexander Bukhdirector

Nils Claussdirector

Synopsis

A Korean kindergarten caretaker and a recently widowed Japanese housewife campaign for the sovereignty of the Dokdo/Takeshima islets. These islets are currently controlled by Korea but claimed by Japan. Both women are involved in citizens' groups that protest and educate the public about the territorial dispute. Their parallel experiences reveal the personal stakes of this conflict, which extends beyond government relations. The film presents their stories from a neutral perspective, offering insight into their activism.

Comments

What are people saying?

Play More Like This

Yeonpyeong: Between Two Koreas (2024)

Yeonpyeong: Between Two Koreas

Yeonpyeong and Baeknyeongdo, South Korean islands near North Korea, face ongoing military tensions, impacting local fishermen and residents' daily lives.

Yeonpyeong: Between Two Koreas

Inside Japan's Mini North Korea (2023)

Inside Japan's Mini North Korea

In Japan, a community of Koreans linked to the Chongryon association maintains strong ties to North Korea, featuring unique schools and facing external challenges.

Inside Japan's Mini North Korea

World's Toughest Borders (2024)

World's Toughest Borders

Kinmen Islands reveal the daily struggles of residents at Taiwan's China frontline.

World's Toughest Borders

The Sun That Shines - Inside Japan's War: Episode 3 (2022)

The Sun That Shines - Inside Japan's War: Episode 3

Episode 3 of Inside Japan's War focuses on occupied territories and resistance movements during WWII.

The Sun That Shines - Inside Japan's War: Episode 3

Islands of Discontent - Russia (2007)

Islands of Discontent - Russia

Russia and Japan's dispute over the Kuril Islands continues since World War II never officially ended.

Islands of Discontent - Russia

Is The South China Sea On The Brink Of War? (2014)

Is The South China Sea On The Brink Of War?

Eugenio Bito discusses Kalayaan Island's potential as a conflict zone in the South China Sea.

Is The South China Sea On The Brink Of War?

Tiger Spirit (2019)

Tiger Spirit

In modern Korea, the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) symbolizes the division between North and South, reflecting the emotional scars of families separated since the Korean War.

Planet Earth: Japan (2023)

Planet Earth: Japan

Yonaguni, a small island of 29 square kilometers, is home to a community that practices ancestor worship and maintains unique cultural traditions.

Planet Earth: Japan

The Apology (2025)

The Apology

2025•1h45m•★4.1TMDB

Three former "comfort women" from South Korea, China, and the Philippines confront their traumatic past and seek justice from the Japanese government decades after World War II.

Japan, the Land of the Eternal (2024)

Japan, the Land of the Eternal

A 1,200 km long ribbon of islands in the Ryukyu archipelago features unique traditions and a deep connection to the sea among its inhabitants.

Japan, the Land of the Eternal

How Ike Led: The Principles Behind Eisenhower’s Biggest Decisions (2020)

How Ike Led: The Principles Behind Eisenhower’s Biggest Decisions

Eight years of peace and prosperity marked Dwight D. Eisenhower's presidency, driven by his "Middle Way" approach to leadership and decision-making.

How Ike Led: The Principles Behind Eisenhower’s Biggest Decisions

The Women’s Suffrage Centennial: Impact and Legacy (2021)

The Women’s Suffrage Centennial: Impact and Legacy

Nearly 800 local leagues of the League of Women Voters continue the work of suffragists to promote women's voting rights across the United States.

The Women’s Suffrage Centennial: Impact and Legacy

Explore This Island is Ours

Where else to watch

The Apology (2025)

The Apology

2025•1h45m•★4.1TMDB

Three former "comfort women" from South Korea, China, and the Philippines confront their traumatic past and seek justice from the Japanese government decades after World War II.

No digital watch option in your country

The Last of the Sea Women (2024)

The Last of the Sea Women

2024•1h27m•★7.2TMDB

150 miles away from Jeju, younger haenyeo in their 20s and 30s continue the tradition of free-diving for seafood while facing modern challenges.

The Last of the Sea Women

i -Documentary Of The Journalist- (2019)

i -Documentary Of The Journalist-

2019•1h53m•★8.2TMDB

A reporter for the Tokyo Shimbun confronts the unspoken agreement that limits criticism of the Japanese government in exchange for access to information.

i -Documentary Of The Journalist-

Shusenjo: The Main Battleground of the Comfort Women Issue (2019)

Shusenjo: The Main Battleground of the Comfort Women Issue

2019•2h•★7.4TMDB

Miki Dezaki interviews figures like Shinzo Abe and Park Geun-hye to explore the complex narratives surrounding the 'comfort women' issue of World War II.

Shusenjo: The Main Battleground of the Comfort Women Issue

Voices (2025)

Voices

2025•1h28m•★7.5TMDB

25,000 to 30,000 lives were lost during the Jeju 4.3 incident, a tragedy that deeply affected the women of Jeju Island.

Bertha Lutz: Women and the U.N. Charter (2021)

Bertha Lutz: Women and the U.N. Charter

2021•1h38m•★10.0TMDB

Bertha Lutz played a key role in ensuring women's rights were included in the discussions that shaped the U.N. Charter in 1945.

Bertha Lutz: Women and the U.N. Charter

Browse more like this

World's Toughest Borders (2024)

World's Toughest Borders

Kinmen Islands reveal the daily struggles of residents at Taiwan's China frontline.

World's Toughest Borders

No digital watch option in your country

The Sun That Shines - Inside Japan's War: Episode 3 (2022)

The Sun That Shines - Inside Japan's War: Episode 3

Episode 3 of Inside Japan's War focuses on occupied territories and resistance movements during WWII.

The Sun That Shines - Inside Japan's War: Episode 3

No digital watch option in your country

Planet Earth: Japan (2023)

Planet Earth: Japan

Yonaguni, a small island of 29 square kilometers, is home to a community that practices ancestor worship and maintains unique cultural traditions.

Planet Earth: Japan

No digital watch option in your country

Japan, the Land of the Eternal (2024)

Japan, the Land of the Eternal

A 1,200 km long ribbon of islands in the Ryukyu archipelago features unique traditions and a deep connection to the sea among its inhabitants.

Japan, the Land of the Eternal

No digital watch option in your country

Terra Nullius or: How to Be a Nationalist (2015)

Terra Nullius or: How to Be a Nationalist

2015•1h8m•★5.1TMDB

The director attempts landings on contested islands in East Asia, documenting the rising tensions over territorial disputes and nationalism.

Terra Nullius or: How to Be a Nationalist

My name is KIM Bok-dong (2019)

My name is KIM Bok-dong

2019•1h47m•★8.8TMDB

The installation of the Statue of Peace in 2011 marked the 1000th Wednesday demonstration for justice by survivors of the wartime sexual slavery system.

My name is KIM Bok-dong

Land of My Father (2020)

Land of My Father

Two lives are intertwined with the disputed island of Dokdo, where a farmer protests Japan's claim while a woman fights to preserve her father's erased legacy.

Land of My Father

The Murmuring (1995)

The Murmuring

1995•1h33m•★5.8TMDB

Every Wednesday at noon, women kidnapped by the Japanese army gather to demand an official apology and compensation for their suffering.

Sky, Wind, Stars and the Island (2025)

Sky, Wind, Stars and the Island

A former member of the Dokdo Police Security Detachment relocates with his family to Kumi, a remote village in Japan’s Oki Islands.

Sky, Wind, Stars and the Island

Sorry, Dokdo (2008)

Sorry, Dokdo

Dokdo, an easternmost isle of Korea, is highlighted through the stories of advocates working to raise global awareness of its cultural and historical significance.

At Five on the Dot (2004)

At Five on the Dot

2004•56m•★10.0TMDB

On June 27, 1973, Uruguayan workers and students staged the largest peaceful demonstration in Latin America against a military coup.

At Five on the Dot

Is this your film?

If you made this film or hold the rights to it, we'd like to talk. We can license it and pay you a share of what it earns.

License it with us →