Private Project

Maria the Korean Bride: Ghost Wedding

Ghost marriages are an ancient—and now outlawed—tradition in mainland China. Nevertheless, it persists and is still practiced in various communities in Asia. Maria the Korean Bride, the voice of an unmarried Asian-American woman, challenges this tradition by participating in this ritual and questions how the societal pressure on women to marry continues even after death.

  • Maria Yoon
    Director
    Maria the Korean Bride
  • Maria Yoon
    Writer
  • Maria Yoon
    Producer
    Maria the Korean Bride
  • E-Wei Tao
    Producer
  • Maria Yoon
    Key Cast
  • Katy Hui-Wen Hung
    Key Cast
  • Tobie Openshaw
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Feature
  • Genres:
    Documdrama, Historical, Horror, Adventure
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 10 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    October 31, 2020
  • Production Budget:
    75,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    China, Taiwan
  • Language:
    Chinese, English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Maria Yoon

Maria Yoon is a Korean-American film producer, director, and performance artist. As the self-proclaimed voice of unmarried Asian-American women, her previous feature-length documentary, entitled Maria the Korean Bride (2013) explored the meaning of marriage in America, spontaneously coordinating weddings in all fifty states. For her sequel, Maria the Korean Bride: Ghost Wedding (2020), she investigates the possibility of marriage after death. Her work often challenges the expectations and interrogates the traditions of first and second-generation Americans with the aim of empowerment and hope for a better cultural understanding.

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Director Statement

The societal pressure on women to marry persists even after death. This is demonstrated in the institution of ghost marriages, an ancient—and now outlawed—tradition originating in mainland China. Dating back to the Han Dynasty (202 BC–9 AD), ghost marriages were only for the wealthy to participate. For some, this ritual was arranged during their lifetime, predestined to marry after death. For others, living family members would organize a ghost marriage for their loved ones to prevent the deceased from experiencing loneliness during the Afterlife.

I first learned about ghost marriages hearing stories of non-wealthy families attempting to ensure their love lives after death, giving up their livelihoods, spending their life savings for ceremonies, all out of respect for the deceased. Confounded but also intrigued, I decided to learn more about this practice by participating in a Tawainese ghost wedding. While I investigated, I realized that many people avoided discussing this practice, approaching it with apprehension. I was unsure why until I was met with governmental interference, warnings by well-meaning Chinese citizens, and current abiding convictions and customs.

There were many questions I asked myself going through this process: Why do we feel obligated to participate in practices like these? What is the importance of the legacy constructed in marriage when you’ve already passed on to another life? How do we make peace with the deceased? And as the viewers watch my search for these answers, I hope that they can be open-minded, despite some skepticism, questioning their relationships to their own histories and how they persist after death.