Documenting trauma in the age of transitional justice: A study of Jesse Hung Wai-Kin’s (J. C. Hung) documentaries on Taiwan’s Public Television Service

This article examines the role of documentaries in addressing and healing trauma, as well as the pursuit of historical truthfulness during the age of transitional justice, with a focus on the documentaries of Jesse Hung Wai-Kin (JC Hung; 1950–2018) 洪維健 and its connection to Taiwan’s Public Television Service (PTS). As the first documentary director to concentrate his career on the White Terror period and transitional justice, Hung’s documentaries provide a case study to explore: (1) the impact of White Terror trauma on Hung’s filmmaking and screenwriting, particularly his narrative; (2) the transmission of personal traumatic experiences across generations and (3) the potential educational functions of these documentaries. Engaging with the concept of ‘postmemory’, this article investigates how trauma documentaries may facilitate intergenerational communication. Through a detailed textual analysis of Blind Night 暗夜哭聲 (2006), and ‘J. C. Hung’s study notes’ 洪維健的學習筆記 (2018), this study reveals his subjective, critical, and emotional style, emphasizing how his screenwriting contributes to shaping public perceptions of the historical trauma. Ultimately, this research contends that it is imperative to adopt a more inclusive perspective and respect the testimonies of victims.